Our Sweet Convalescence
by SarCastic HypoCrite
Summary: Things had reached the point where Naruto felt practically dead inside. His entire life had come to a screeching halt, with seemingly nowhere to go. He hadn't expected a fancy cup of coffee with a side of onyx eyes to be served on a platter. Neither did he expect the changes that came with that dubious combo. ItaNaruSasu
1. Darkness

_**A/N:**_ _Welcome to another new story! It's been so long that I'm not too sure what this really feels like anymore- though hopefully I'll have the willpower to keep this rolling with frequent updates. Reviews would really help with that motivation -wink wonk-_

 _This will initially start out as a SasuNaru/NaruSasu story. However, I am playing around with the idea of making it into an ItaNaruSasu threesome, if that appeals to anyone. Yes, that will mean Uchihacest at some point down the road if it's voted in favor. For now, please enjoy the first chapter!_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _ **I do not own the Naruto franchise**_ _. Please refrain from suing me for my pocket lint._

The title of his newest creation was ' _Darkness_ '. Not that there was any other appropriate name for a bunch of raw graphite lines zig zagging and squiggling on a page in a random fashion. His marks had been hard and angry, no doubt leaving indents in the page below the one he had been hating on so profusely. The artist let out an exasperated sigh, his hands running through blonde locks with almost as much anger as they had on the page below him.

Four years it had been, since he signed his soul away. Since he lost all sense of independence in himself. He had spent the past ten years before that being nothing but independent, fighting his way through school and proudly working to make it all on his own. Sure, he had friends. He had a guardian to take care of him after his parents died in a freak car accident at just the young age of ten years old. But he just knew things wouldn't get done unless he did them himself.

Dull blue eyes looked up at a picture frame that hung in his little office. Oh, how he remembered the day well. It hadn't always been like this, oh no. They had at one point been happy. He liked to think that in some ways, they still were. But it hadn't been the same, not in a long time.

" _Do you, Sakura Haruno, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"_

" _Of course I do!"_

Naruto snorted. She had always been enthusiastic, perhaps to the point of being over the top. But that was what he loved about her. Aside from the occasional thwack on the head, she was practically his best friend, and some days he wouldn't have it any other way. But this particular day wasn't one of them.

" _Naruto, you're pathetic! I can't believe I'm actually married to you!"_ Came the echo of words that were spoken only hours prior. He knew she had every right to be upset at him, yet it still stung like a bitch. Somehow, somewhere along the way of this magical ride called marriage, Naruto had landed himself in a deep depression.

He had to wonder when exactly his slow yet steady descent started. It could have easily been when he had quit his job at the ramen shop to follow his passion in art. Sakura was making plenty of money by that point to keep them afloat for a while, working as a registered nurse. Between Naruto's lack of income and their combined spending habits, it wasn't long until they were in a financial crunch, which only aided in the strain on their relationship.

No, Naruto knew better. His descent had started much earlier, showing in the form of his artwork dulling in comparison to his works from high school. He would argue that his descent started before they had even gotten married.

Particularly, in the beginning. Naruto had always tossed around the thought of whether or not he was going to wait until marriage to do the deed, and oh he had wanted Sakura so badly back then. She felt that she needed to wait though, if nothing else for her very religious family. Naruto decided to let her have her wish, and they waited. He frowned when he remembered how painful and awkward the first time had been for both of them, and ever since there had been an obvious wall when it came to anything revolving around sex.

He would argue even still that his depression started even earlier than that. Maybe it was because he never truly had the opportunity to mourn over his parents before he was thrusted back into reality. Or maybe it was because of something more trivial, like graduating high school and not having any sort of direction to go from there.

Truthfully, it didn't matter. By that point it was as if he had completely given up on everything, handing it all over to Sakura on a silver platter for her to take care of. He absolutely hated how powerless he felt; with no job and no family aside from her he felt as though everything he had revolved around her. It wasn't right. It was tearing on what little fibers of their relationship still remained.

' _Darkness_ ' seemed to be an appropriate thing to draw in this hour of pure hopelessness.

His pink-haired wife would likely be gone until late into the night, leaving Naruto to do as he pleased, which wasn't much. There were clothes scattered all around the floor, laundry screaming that it needed to be done. The trash needed to be taken out and the dishes were piled seemingly to the ceiling, but the thought of it all only served to overwhelm the blonde even more.

He let out a low growl and crumbled up the piece of paper angrily. He hadn't even wanted to draw that much, but he forced himself to try. He needed to do something. He wanted to change his life, to make the horrible feelings go away, and to hopefully fix his frail relationship with Sakura. He just didn't know how.

Staying in the house was only bound to make it worse.

The blonde grit his teeth. He didn't want to go outside, feeling the awkward gazes of strangers. He had put on some weight and gotten pale due to staying inside most of the time, among a myriad of other self-image problems he saw within himself. He had scars on his face and his hair was always disheveled, sleepless nights noticeable by the bags under his eyes. He knew that in reality it wasn't as bad as what he believed it to be in his head, but it was still enough to give him more than a little social anxiety.

With a breath, Naruto got up off the floor and grabbed his keys before he could even give himself time to think any more of it. Staying inside was only going to make him feel more miserable. With that in mind he grabbed his discarded sketchpad and a few pencils, dropped them carelessly into his bag and walked out the door of the shared apartment.

He regretted it almost immediately after shutting and locking the door behind him, feeling more open and exposed than he wished to be. It only helped to confirm what he already knew though as he briskly walked down the two flights of stairs their apartment had to get to the main road.

Naruto had a problem. A big problem.

A problem that would never be solved cooped up inside his house, so away he went. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going nor where he would stop, but anywhere was better than there for the time being.

He fished around in his bag for Gama-chan, pulling out the toad shape wallet and counted the cash that he had. There was enough in there for a bus fare, and everything else could be paid for on his credit card if the need became apparent. He bit his lip and shoved the wallet back in his bag after pulling out a couple of bucks for the bus. This trip was supposed to be for inspiration for his well-being, not inspiration for something that would only make him happy in the moment.

There was a bus stop conveniently located near his apartment complex, so he walked to it. He knew the route that the bus took pretty well, but with no actual place in mind to stop he figured he would just see how far he went that day. For all he knew, he would just ride around on the bus a couple of times before walking home, though he figured that would defeat the purpose.

" _You never get anything done around here! I can't do this on my own anymore!"_

Yet another memory from a few hours in the past. No, Naruto needed to stop somewhere, anywhere that might give him a sense of purpose.

The bus came to a screeching halt in front of him, the large vehicle lowering to make it easy for him to walk on in. He sucked in a breath of air and fed the money to the machine, taking his ticket that the machine spat out before nodding to the driver politely. Instead of opting to sit in the very back like he normally would, he forced himself to sit in one of the middle seats by the window, casually looking for a place that stuck out to him.

Idly, he fiddled with the phone and earbuds in his pocket. Part of him wanted to check to see if Sakura had sent him any messages- not that he had been expecting it. Mostly he was just looking for an excuse to drown himself in something, be it music or some form of social media. He resisted the urge though, baby blue eyes that matched the clear skies outside trained on the buildings passing by.

He had almost given up as they pulled into the third to final stop of the route. He sighed and furrowed his blonde brows in exasperation, looking twice as hard as before. In the distance was a tan building that didn't particularly stick out in any particular way, save for the red sign with black swirls adorning the front. Naruto blinked, reading the sign to himself silently. _Amaterasu café._

It was a cheesy name, there was no doubt about that. He supposed that it added to the charm the little place seemed to have, and it was definitely something far from a regular Starbucks. Thinking the place to be as good as any, Naruto pulled the thin yellow cord, signaling his desire to exit the bus at the next stop. He had a bit to walk since technically the café was closer to the last stop he had been at, but Naruto didn't mind.

It only took around fifteen minutes more for him to walk the rest of the way, an elegant pair of red Spanish doors in front of him. He almost lost his nerve to go in, but with a shaky hand he managed to pull the door open.

Again, he immediately regretted his decision. It was obvious right away that the place was fancy- fancier than what he probably had the money for. Sure it was small, but the place was well furnished. There were rosewood round tables and matching chairs lining the floor in an elegant and tactful manner, the floor below him only a few shades lighter in contrast. Each table had its own mini chandelier, the light surrounded by red glass which gave it a more modern feel to it. Along the lone wall that had no windows was a row of booths instead of tables, rows of charging stations sticking out casually for anyone who wanted to sit and work.

One of the oddest differences though was the lack of a cash register and large menu board. Instead there was a simple sign by the door with equally simple instructions. _'Please seat yourself.'_ It said, and with a shrug the travelling blonde did just that.

" _Just get out! Get out, get out!"_

Sakura's cries had cut deep into him, making his frown worsen as he remembered more and more of their argument. Sure, he had defended himself like anyone would, but he had also tried to tell her that she had been right. He just didn't feel like he could change on his own anymore, and part of him wondered if she even cared enough to try and help him through this. He brushed the idea aside and finally took a seat in one of the booths, finally feeling satisfied enough to pull out the device in his pocket. He wasn't shocked to see there were no messages.

"What can I get you?" Came a powerful voice that made Naruto visibly jump and slam down his phone on the square table in front of him. He looked up at the intruder only to find a dark, slender eyebrow cocked in partial question and amusement. Naruto swallowed thickly, trying to pelt down the urge to just run away from the far too gorgeous man in front of him and back home to his comfort zone. Wait- where the hell did that thought come from?

"E-erm I dunno what you guys serve here." Naruto said lamely, frown still on his face as he shifted uncomfortably under the waiter's gaze. Somehow Naruto had managed to see even more amusement flicker through extremely dark orbs.

"Well this is a café. I hope that you're smart enough to know that means we serve coffee." The waiter said, and Naruto's frown turned into more of a thin line of annoyance, wondering briefly if it was going to win out over his social anxiety. Unfortunately, it didn't.

"Coffee it is, then. Whatever you have with a lot of sugar." Naruto said, turning his attention back to the little device in his hands. He tried to ignore the other man's presence, who seemed to be looking for some kind of other response from the blonde that never came.

Eventually the waiter let out a noise that sounded strangely like a 'hn', the sound of feet treading off being music to Naruto's ears. It was better if he was left alone to his thoughts, left alone in his own little world where nobody could touch him.

" _You really think I care about what happens to you!?"_

Naruto gritted his teeth and put away his phone, opting to pull out his sketchbook instead. No, he wasn't there so that he could hide away inside of a machine. He was there for change, and change meant finding a muse or making a friend. Anything that could change the way his life was heading in that moment.

He tapped the pencil against the paper with almost an equal frustration to the one he had that morning. There was nothing that he really felt like drawing in his current view, and even the smell of the coffee shop wasn't enough to set his mind ablaze. He sighed and started drawing as he had that morning, deciding to form ovals instead of jagged lines this time. Perhaps it would eventually turn into something once the piping hot cup of java was sitting in front of his nose.

"One cup of sugar with a shot of coffee, as requested." The voice from earlier said, which thankfully didn't shock Naruto a second time. He looked over from the paper to the coffee, which was thankfully what looked like a chocolate Frappuccino in a pretty glass instead of an actual cup of sugar with a splash of coffee on top. Somehow, he didn't put it past the well-dressed waiter to pull some sort of shit like that.

"Are you always this charming?" Naruto deadpanned, taking a sip of the sugary drink nonetheless. He took the time to take in what the server was wearing, eyeing him up and down in partial suspicion. He had on a black bowtie with a matching vest, clean white button up underneath with long sleeves. He also wore black slacks and a white apron covering down to his knees, and if the outfit wasn't ridiculous enough he had a silver platter wedged between his soft-looking fingers.

"Only to cute, distressed looking customers." The man answered, causing Naruto's eye to twitch as he looked back down at the drawing, sucking down his drink quickly through the straw provided as he began coloring in circles he made inside of the ovals. They had to be eyes.

"In case you didn't notice, I'm a man. A married man, and men are not 'cute'." He said with a huff. He just wanted to get his muse and be done with it, but it didn't look like fate was going to let him have his way that easily.

He hadn't expected the waiter to actually take the seat in front of him, much less as casually as he did. Blue orbs looked up to see onyx ones, somehow now portraying a mixture of boredom and curiosity in those deep pools of ink he had.

"Fine, handsome then. Sorry I offended your miserable ass." He said, his tone more bored then actually apprehensive.

"So, what's got you down anyway? Kinda surprised that a dobe like you would be here alone and miserable if you're married." He asked, and Naruto ended up bouncing his pen against the paper in aggravation. He dared to look up at those dark orbs, his own blue ones practically overflowing with irritation at the man.

"That's none of your damn business. Don't you have a job to do or somethin'?" He said, finally getting riled up enough to snap. It was at that point he saw the orbs change again, back to the amusement that had been there when he first sat down at the table.

"Not really. You came in during the slowest part of the day, and everything else that needed to get done is done. So all I have left is to let you entertain me." He said with a smug smirk, his hand slipping off of his pale cheek to land silently on the table as he leaned in to see Naruto's drawing.

"Looks pretty good. Though you might just be good at eyes and bad at everything else." He said, further riling up the blonde he was seated in front of. Said blonde finished his drink, clinking the glass down on the table a bit harshly before pulling out his wallet, practically chucking a little silver card at the intruder.

"Just hurry up and ring up my drink bastard so I can leave!" Naruto shouted, closing his sketchbook and stuffed it in his bag as he grumbled to himself.

"Hn. Naruto Uzumaki, huh?" The waiter asked, seemingly unfazed by Naruto's little outburst as he moved to get up, leaving the frustrated patron.

He felt extremely stupid for coming out here. What was he thinking, that things would magically change for him if he made the effort? Yeah right. That's not how reality works.

The waiter came back and placed the card and the receipt on the table in front of him faced down. Naruto didn't give him the satisfaction of looking up to meet his smug face. "Name's Sasuke by the way, not bastard. Come back anytime." He said, turning with a little wave before leaving towards what had to be the kitchen. Naruto sighed and took his card and receipt.

He was stuffing the card back in his froggy wallet and was about to crumple up the stupid thin paper when he noticed a note scrawled out on the bottom. The blonde set down his wallet and squinted his eyes at the out-of-place note written in ink pen.

 _Cheer up, Dobe._

 _This one is on me._

Naruto blinked, check the card number on the receipt. Sure enough it was something different than the one on his own card. The absolute irritation he felt for the man almost instantly melted away. Not that he would allow himself to try and approach the man about it, opting to leave out the door he came in not even twenty minutes ago.

Sasuke, huh.

He shuffled rather slowly back to the bus stop, not all that thrilled to head back to the comfort of his apartment anymore. He let his thoughts wander to the waiter thoughtfully.

Sure, he was a bastard, that was something that Naruto was positive of. But he had been nothing but genuine to him, and in some strange way the blonde found it comforting. He couldn't remember the last time he allowed himself to be so open with a total stranger. Far too long, that's for sure.

He flashed the little ticket he'd gotten from the previous bus ride and sat down near the front, eager to pull out his sketchbook. He may not have realized it at the time, but he knew then that he had been drawing specific eyes at the time. Sasuke's eyes.

He opened the book and frowned at what he saw. They were lifeless, not at all like the amusement he saw in those perfect ink orbs. Shoving out the fact that he had just mentally called a stranger- a male stranger's- eyes perfect, he pulled out his graphite pencil and began to redo them from memory. A small smile formed on his face at the gleaming amusement staring back at him once he was done, grateful that he still had a ways to go before he hit his bus stop.

His cell phone went off and he fished it out of his pocket, his small smile becoming just a little brighter.

"Hey Sakura." He said into the receiver, glad that his wife had taken the time to call him during her break. It was a rare occurrence for her to talk to her at all after a fight where she had to work after.

" _Hey. Naruto, I'm really sorry about earlier. I said some really nasty stuff."_ She told him over the phone. Vaguely the blonde wondered when her verbal abuse from earlier had stopped bothering him, but it didn't matter. He was just happy that they were talking. Absentmindedly he started filling out a face to go with the eyes in front of him, the bus jolting only somehow adding to the picture he had in mind.

"Nah, don't worry about it. You're right, I need to figure stuff out." He said in agreement, shading in what had to be dark hair that almost rivaled the darkness of the amused eyes. Naruto took extra care in making sure the long bangs framed the face in front of him, hair spiking out in the back. Naturally the lips he had drawn were in the shape of a smug smirk.

He continued to talk to Sakura until he was almost home, pulling on the cord absentmindedly as the view outside became more familiar.

" _Are you actually outside?"_ Sakura asked, the shock in her voice evident.

"Yeah, but I'm almost home. Just had to go clear my mind a bit. I'll see ya tonight baby." He told her, clicking the red button on his phone and looked down at his work with pride. He didn't consider it much, but it was more than what he'd managed in a long time.

He decided to title the piece _'Darkness'_.


	2. Lack of Cream and Sugar

For the first time in months, the Uzumaki household seemed to hold some life to it. Sure, it was still a bit messy, but Naruto had put in an effort to take care of things he had been neglecting. There wasn't piles of trash surrounding the front door, and the dishes weren't stacked a mile high. It had been a week since he visited the Amaterasu Café, and he was feeling pretty great about his progress.

Unfortunately, progress with the house didn't necessarily translate into progress in the relationship field as he had hoped it would. Sure, there was no longer a million little things to do around the house, but that didn't mean that they ever talked. Since the pink haired woman worked in emergency, she was very rarely home. And even when she was, he found out very quickly that when they weren't fighting over housework, they were sitting in separate rooms avoiding each other. It didn't FEEL uncomfortable, but it didn't really feel like they were in a relationship half the time, either.

Then there was Naruto's latest muse. While it had definitely been a good idea to go to the café, his drawings had been of one singular thing since. Or should he say one singular _person_. No matter how many times Naruto tried to pick up his pen and draw something else, he ended up including Sasuke in some way or another.

This time it was a mountain range. He had looked up some really pretty ones to try and get some broad inspiration. He managed to capture the mountains, trees, and lighting perfectly around the edge portion. Yet he left the middle blank, and the closer he got to getting to the very last empty square, the more he felt like there was something missing in the portrait. Sasuke.

He threw down his graphite pencil and let out a large sigh.

"Sounds like you're having a hard time." A bold voice came from the door. Naruto put the art piece down on the table and spun in his chair to look at Sakura, an innocent frown on his face.

"Yeah, just… Dunno if I wanna add anything more to it I guess." Naruto said with a shrug. He noted that Sakura was holding two drinks, and was grateful when she set down one of the cups of hot chocolate on his work table.

"Thanks." He murmured, taking a sip and licked the extra whipped cream off of his upper lip.

"Did you get the day off? That hardly ever happens." He asked, surprised when his tone of voice wasn't as sour as he'd thought it'd be. The last day off she had was over a month ago, and even that was interrupted by her pager blaring at two in the morning saying they needed her for an emergency.

"Yeah, I do. Tsunade says I look like death and made me take the night off." Sakura said, which made Naruto blink and really take in her appearance. She had dark circles under her eyes and her skin was paler than normal. If that wasn't enough she was stick thin, her bones defined in her arms and the sight made Naruto frown even more. How long had she been neglecting herself, and how long had he not taken notice?

"Yeah, she's right. Not that I think you're any less beautiful, just..." Naruto trailed off, trying not to make it seem as bad as it sounded. Sakura just sighed and waved him off, understanding what he meant.

"Hey, go lay down, ok? I'll make you lunch and we could watch a movie or somethin'." Naruto offered, leaving his hot chocolate at his desk as he stood up. He kissed her forehead and rubbed her arm lovingly, shuffling around her out the door and into the open kitchen. His first thought of what to make was ramen, but he knew she wasn't a big fan, so he pulled out a bunch of vegetables and chicken and put it all into a pot instead. After all, what was better for you than homemade chicken soup?

Making sure that the stove was on, he left the soup to do its thing, sitting across the couch from Sakura and pulled his feet up. The blinds were closed and it was relatively dark in their apartment, not that they really minded the darkness with temperatures reaching the hundreds outside. It made things cooler, and made the television easier to see as Naruto flicked through Netflix, trying to find something to watch.

"We should watch that funny Korean drama." Sakura said lazily, scrunching up her feet on her side of the couch. Naruto inwardly groaned. He secretly hated her love of foreign dramas, but he put up with it. She hardly had time to brush her teeth, let alone do anything fun. Begrudgingly, he put on _Man to Man_ and sat back, mostly zoning out during the cheesy parts and thought about his favorite topic for the past week. The Amaterasu café.

Or, if he was being extremely specific, the people who worked there. Well, the ony person he knew. Sasuke. He thought about Sasuke.

A small sigh escaped his lips, though the sound was completely tuned out by the blaring television. He could barely hear the boiling coming from the kitchen next to them, even though it lacked a dividing wall so the pot was virtually in the same room. He knew that he'd eventually have to go back to the café for his own sanity if nothing else. Make himself find out what the raven was really like, and more importantly find a reason of why he should stay away and stop thinking about it.

A pang of guilt filled his chest as he looked over at Sakura. Sure, he didn't have anything to REALLY feel guilty about. But his thoughts hadn't been on her, not nearly as much as they should have been anyway. It wasn't fair to her when she'd practically been sailing the ship alone the entire time, and he knew it.

He made himself push the guilt to the back of his mind as he got up a little bit later, the boiling soup smelling like it was ready to be eaten. He checked the meat and carefully separated the meat from the bones with a pair of forks, tossing the inedible bits into the trash beneath the sink. Sakura was likely to be passed out on the couch at that point, but he dished her out a bowl anyway and set it on the coffee table they had, gently shaking her.

"You need to eat." He said softly, waiting patiently before shaking her again. This time she woke up, sleepy moaning and a deep sigh came from his exhausted wife as she groggily got up to eat. It was obvious that she needed a real night's sleep, and when she was done eating Naruto promptly sent her off to bed.

The blonde returned to his workbench and collapsed into the swiveling office chair he had, his head resting on the back as he stared at the unfinished canvas he had. His eyebrows knit together as the white, untouched square mocked him, reminding him almost instantly of the onyx orbs that did practically the same thing. He groaned and slumped more into his chair, pressing the home button on his phone sitting on the desk to check the time.

It was barely even three in the afternoon. He turned his head to the door and bit his lip before getting back up on his feet. Sakura was likely going to sleep well through the night to make up for lost time. He didn't have anything to do at home except listen to the still running Kdrama and stare at a mocking square, so why should he stay?

Coffee sounded good at that moment.

Thus he ended up back on the bus he'd taken a week prior. It was much more crowded this time around, possibly because people were getting out of work or school around that time, but he didn't mind it. He allowed himself to have his headphones in this time, and was quick to pull the yellow cord when the familiar red sign appeared out the window across the street. Naruto stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he held onto one of the metal poles, waiting for the bus to come to a complete stop before exiting, walking quickly over to the nearby crosswalk. The nervousness he'd felt during his first trip wasn't present this time, and was instead replaced by giddiness.

He never thought seeing the door to a building would make him so… happy? Was that the word he was looking for? Should he be happy? He decided not to dwell on it as he swung open the large rosewood door with haste.

The crowd in the little shop had matched the foreboding one in the buss. There was a hum of voices throughout the little place, and Naruto couldn't help but feel a little nervous for the first time since leaving the apartment. He was grateful when the spot he'd chosen last time had been available though, slipping into the booth not unlike the first time.

"Here again Usuratonkachi? Thought I might've scared you away." Came a voice that made a shiver crawl up Naruto's spine, making its own little nest at the base of his neck. Why, why did just the sound of his voice have to be so… inviting to him? He brushed that thought out as quickly as it came, making himself remember that he had just been insulted.

"Who you calling an idiot, bastard!? And I'm not afraid of some cocky ass waiter, either." Naruto huffed rather loudly. The raven had currently been setting down a pair of teacups to a couple of older ladies in the booth in front of him, who had turned with raised, disgusted eyebrows to stare at the blonde customer spewing profanities.

"Please excuse his filthy mouth, madams. He doesn't seem to have a filter. If it becomes a problem I wouldn't mind making him move." Sasuke said politely, smirking over to a partially fuming Naruto. How dare he make him look like the bad guy!

"It's quite alright, Mister Uchiha. We don't blame you in the slightest." Naruto heard one of the ladies say. This time he snickered, thinking how ridiculous 'Mister Uchiha' sounded in that fake British accent the lady tried to pull. It lacked the arrogance and snark that the waiter seemed to carry himself with. Or was it only Naruto who saw through the façade? Either way, he didn't miss the cold, warning stare coming from eyes he'd become acquainted with in his drawings, telling him to keep his mouth shut about it.

"Let me know if there is anything else I can get for you." He said, his voice a tad on the flat side but it wasn't anything most people would notice. Naruto noticed, probably only because his attention was focused on the waiter and his mannerisms. Looking for flaws, he told himself.

"And what can I get for you? Another cup of sugar with a shot of coffee?" Sasuke asked, pulling out a pen and pad of paper. Naruto felt almost disappointed when the raven hadn't sat down across from him like last time, but then again there were also a lot more customers around and he did have a job to do. Absentmindedly he tapped his fingers down on the table.

"Actually I kinda wanna have whatever drinks your favorite." Naruto said, all his earlier sense of sass seemingly tossed to the side for a moment. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and smirked, meeting Naruto's sky blue orbs with his.

"You won't like my choice of beverage." He states plainly, though writes a little note on the paper in front of his face without looking away from Naruto. The blonde just shrugged in response.

"You're alone again. Still having marital problems?" Sasuke asked with a hint of interest. Naruto snorted.

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you actually gave a damn about my personal life." He jabbed, rolling his eyes.

"My wife works sporadic hours in emergency. Today's the first day she's been able to get a full night's rest in over a month." Naruto explained, shrinking back a bit in his seat. Sasuke blinked and took in the sight of the blonde, who could be read like an open book. Naruto clearly felt bad for not realizing her condition before.

"So you left to let her sleep without distractions." Sasuke finished for him in a slight attempt to make the blonde feel better. It seemed to work to some degree, Naruto perking up in the booth as he looked over at Sasuke.

"Well… Yeah that's part of it I guess." Naruto said. There was vulnerability in his eyes.

"The other part being you want to show me what you have hidden in your sketchbook." Sasuke said, his smirk rising on his face once more as he tucked away the pen and pad of paper.

"Tch. You wish." Naruto grumbled, clutching the bag he's brought harder.

"I do, actually. You really aren't going to like what I bring." He warned again, quickly switching subjects which was something he was good at when he didn't want others to think too hard on his words. Naruto just rolled his eyes and waived Sasuke off, who silently turned. He couldn't help it as his eyes trailed to the back of the waiter's figure.

He had yet to actually stand up next to Sasuke, but if he had to guess they were probably around the same height, with maybe a couple inch difference at most. Sasuke was obviously skinnier, though he doubted he'd be able to beat Sasuke if he ever challenged him to a race, if his toned legs and calves were anything to go by. Naruto looked down at his little pocket of pudge that had formed in the past few months and frowned. He needed to get out more.

He let out a hum and finally dared himself to pull out his sketchpad when Sasuke was out of eyeshot. He flipped through the many finished and unfinished sketches he had- most of them were of Sasuke in one way or another- and began to draw the man's backside. It was a relatively harmless thing to draw after all, until he got to the clothes and finer details that would give away who it was.

"One eight-ounce glass of our darkest roast, black and sugar free of course." Naruto had just started working on the shoes when the suave voice jolted him back to reality.

"Jeez, do you sneak up on all your clients? Give 'em heart attacks before they even have caffeine in their system?" Naruto asked, putting his hands protectively over his sketch and scrunched up his nose at the glass in front of him.

He hated black coffee, but if it meant one-upping Sasuke's ass, he would gladly down it.

"You have such a sophisticated palate, bastard." Naruto said, rolling his eyes as he took a sip of the bitter liquid, face scrunching up once more to show his distaste.

Naruto waited not-too-patiently for the waiter to leave, his eyes fixed hard on the sketch under his forearm and the drink to the right of it. When Sasuke didn't leave, he lifted his head to protest only to stop partway. He wasn't in his uniform anymore.

Instead he was greeted by a royal blue shirt with a casual black jacket over it, blue jeans and matching black checks that all seemed to emphasize his hair and eyes. It was a simple outfit, and in his right mind Naruto might've thought he was crazy to wear a jacket with the ridiculous heat outside.

He wasn't in his right mind, though. And the raven haired male looked just as stunning dressed down as he did dressed up.

"Uh-uhm…" Naruto said, the only thing he could manage in question as he swallowed hard. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn't normal for him to feel this way and he knew it. Well, maybe it was normal, but it certainly wasn't right. He shook his head a little as Sasuke sat down across from him, forcing himself to think of his sleeping wife waiting for him at home.

The thought just made him frown, though it wouldn't stay there for long.

"I've been here since five. My shift ended at three, but then a certain someone came in and sat in my section so I was forced to stay longer." Sasuke explained innocently. Naruto felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Surely one of the other waiters could've covered him, so why did he feel guilty?

"I'm sure you got several better things you could be doing." He decided to say, taking another sip of the ridiculously bitter beverage. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, not missing the lack of resentment in the blonde's voice.

"Only if you consider studying a better thing to do. If I was being completely honest, I'd much rather be doing-" he was cut off by a black drink in a to-go cup being placed not-too gently in front of him.

"What have I told you about patronizing our customers, little brother?" Came a rather soft yet stern voice to the right of said customer. Naruto looked up and had to rub his eyes, thinking for a moment there were two Sasuke's.

They had to be related in some way. The new waiter had on the same uniform Sasuke had on not twenty minutes prior. From what the blonde could tell he was a few inches taller, and his hair was much longer, pulled back in a low and clean ponytail. His skin was also a few shades darker, obviously getting more sun, and fingers were a little longer. Blue orbs turned to Sasuke quizzically, whose face was currently twisted into a scowl directed towards the intruder.

"He's still my customer Itachi, and you aren't stealing my tips." Seeing the normally calm man put on a face that was anything besides bored and amused almost threw Naruto off-kilter. So he DID have emotions, it seemed.

He couldn't shake the feeling though that Sasuke meant something besides 'tips'.

"You can rest assured that I would never cheat you of what's yours, Outouto. Assuming you actually earn it." The elder Uchiha said, flashing a polite smile towards Naruto. It seemed he was also more open with his emotions than Sasuke was, or at least better at switching up his mask in a necessary setting.

"Are you sure I couldn't get you anything else? You don't seem very fond of what you're drinking." Naruto looked to the waiter and back to Sasuke, who seemed even more pissed than he was before. Whatever the deal was between the two waiters, Naruto was more than happy to add to it just to piss him off more. He flashed a grin up at the man looming above them.

"Ehh maybe not a new drink, but some cream and sugar would be great." He said, his attitude totally opposite towards the much politer waiter who only smiled and turned to grab what he wanted. Naruto in passing noticed the sunken lines in his face.

"Damn Itachi." Sasuke muttered, sucking down the dark liquid not unlike what was in Naruto's cup from the to go container the waiter had set on the table. The blonde snickered, covering his mouth to keep from getting too loud.

"You're related." It wasn't a question. A pale face nodded.

"He's my older brother and the owner." He explained with a heavy sigh, his hands coming together as he rubbed the top of his right hand with his left. A part of the blonde wondered if he could get a picture of the rare being known as the flustered Uchiha without being noticed. For drawing purposes, he told himself.

He shoved out the lingering thought that the sight before him was _'cute'_.

"You two look a lot alike, though it's obvious that he's a lot more mature compared to you, bastard." Naruto stated bluntly, earning a sneer in his direction, to which he responded by sticking his tongue out childishly.

"He's also the most secluded, honest, and perceptive snake you'll ever meet in your life. Don't fall for it." Sasuke told him, his tone almost serious enough to make the blonde customer wary. Absently his mind wandered to faerie's and wondered if secretly that's what Uchiha's were. They were certainly beautiful enough to be Fae.

 _Bad, Naruto._

"I don't know what the hell you think I'd be falling for exactly." He said, his lips thinning into a hard line as he picked up the drink in front of him purposefully with his left hand.

"I meant the games he plays, Naruto." Sasuke clarified, raising an eyebrow incredulously as he took another sip of his drink.

"Oh." Naruto said lamely after pausing a moment, his checks heating up. Of course Itachi picked that moment to come back with a small pitcher of cream and a glass container of sugar, making the blonde squirm in the booth. He decided then that coming back to the café may not have been the best idea after all.

"The cure-all for any cup of coffee." Itachi said charmingly, and he was quick to chuck five large spoonfuls of sugar into the glass, filling the rest to the brim with cream before giving a generous stir. Oh yes, definitely much better.

"Because Diabetes in a cup is definitely attractive." Sasuke commented dryly, moving to stand and grabbed his cup.

"That's offensive," Naruto shot back at that, shooting him a glare before changing it to a smile at the elder Uchiha. "And thank you."

"Anytime. I'm not against firing you for offending our customers, Sasuke." Itachi called, his arms folded gently. The shorter raven rolled his eyes.

"I'm kidding." Sasuke said tiredly, though it seemed an idea popped in his head as his usual amusement returned to his face.

"Besides, I'm sure the dobe will need the extra energy. His wife's got the night off."

Suddenly Naruto felt like he had swallowed a huge boulder, and it had just then decided to bottom out in his stomach. He knew by that point that Sasuke meant nothing bad by it, the man had a dry sense of humor and quick wit, but it was still a harsh reality looming over him that nothing of that nature was going to happen that evening.

"Sounds like a fun night to be had indeed." Itachi said with an equal amount of amusement. Naruto tried his best to seem embarrassed and to hide his sorrow from the two, scratching his cheek and let out a nervous laugh as he directed his gaze to the wall. He vaguely wondered if it had worked.

He missed the look that the two brothers exchanged, the serious yet somehow smug expression of 'I told you so' written on Sasuke's face, while Itachi kept his indifference about it.

"I'm outta here. See you, Itachi, and don't have too much fun, Naruto." Sasuke said. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch the blonde, a gesture he might've done if his older brother wasn't hovering like a helicopter parent. With a final wave he headed for the door. Naruto couldn't help but watch him walk much like he had earlier that day.

"He means well." Itachi interrupted, making the blonde jerk his head back up to the elder. He had just been caught staring at the new waiters' little brother, all the while he had a sleeping wife waiting for him at home. He mentally cursed.

What the hell was _wrong_ with him?

"He's still a bastard, no offense." He murmured, downing the now sweet and creamy delicacy he had in front of him. It wasn't until he set his glass down, that he realized he'd used the hand that was covering his sketchbook, and consequently the outline of Sasuke's backside. He swallowed hard and looked up at Itachi sheepishly. There was no hair or any tell signs of who it was that he was drawing, but something told the blonde that this man just knew.

"It runs in the family. Some of us are just better in social situations." He said, giving Naruto a friendly smile as he looked at the sketch. Naruto saw a similar flicker of amusement, in ash gray eyes.

"I believe you forgot to add the permanent pole he has wedged up his ass."

That's all it took for Naruto to come undone in fits of laughter as Itachi walked away. Despite the awkwardness and inappropriate nature of it all, Naruto hadn't felt more relaxed in ages. Things were bound to get interesting.

He couldn't ignore the voice in his head though, telling him that whatever this was could end very badly. A flash of pink from a woman's jacket caught his eye and his face fell immediately.

Kami help him.

 _AN: Well… three months isn't too terrible, I suppose… -sips coffee- hopefully I can start pushing out more chapters soon. Damn depression._

 _Also, this chapter introduced Itachi to the story, but it could still go either way as far as to keep it at SasuNaru or make it ItaNaruSasu. The votes were tied, so if you have a strong preference for one or the other please voice it in the comments! Thanks for reading!_


	3. Interview With A View

_A/N: I stopped counting votes two days after the second chapter was posted so I could actually start working on this one, and- kind of shockingly- SINners won out at 13 votes, while SasuNaru exclusive got 11 votes. This is counting comments from both sites I have this up on._

 _For those who did vote to keep this exclusively SasuNaru, I have a supernatural themed SasuNaru planned for Halloween, which I'll start working on right after this chapter is published. Please look forward to that!_

 _I'm honestly more than a little nervous since a lot of people brought up good reasons why it shouldn't be a threesome. At the same time though, I'm excited to do this pairing. It will be my first written threesome ever, and it will be a challenge to meet everyone's expectations including my own._

 _From this point forward this will be a threesome yaoi pairing, with_ _ **Uchihacest**_ _at some point. You have been warned._

Throughout the night, Naruto didn't sleep a wink. No matter how dark it got or how quiet the apartment seemed to be- save for Sakura's soft snores occasionally- his mind refused to shut up from everything that happened the day before. He put in the effort, staying by his sleeping wife throughout the night and only occasionally looked at his phone to check the time. It wasn't until the blue hues of dawn started pouring in through the blinds that Naruto decided to get up.

After a quick shower and doing his business, Naruto wobbled into the kitchen to get a pot of coffee started. Sakura was bound to wake sometime soon, having easily slept over fourteen hours to catch up on the sleep she missed out on. Against better judgement, he trudged back into the living room, staring at the bag he'd tossed at the foot of the couch the night before.

Sighing, he pulled out the sketchpad peeking out of the top and fell on the couch. He stared at the page it was flipped to, his sky blue orbs scanning over the page for the umpteenth time.

Initially, there were the clean cut lines and angles of Sasuke's back, right smack in the center of the page. It was the only thing he'd meant to draw at the time, if you could even make the argument that he meant to draw anything at all. He was convinced that his hands had a mind if their own.

The lines he made were jagged and sure, like the man portrayed. The waiter was a bastard, but sarcasm aside he was obviously a good guy. Naruto felt like he could relate to him on a deeper level. He'd made the effort of finishing the drawing once he was left to his own devices in the café, adding in the details of his outfit and eventually spiky hair inked in black.

When he was done with Sasuke though, he didn't feel like it was finished. His hands continued, the jagged and sure lines becoming soft and fluid. Like water dousing a blazing fire, he sketched the light wood flooring that _Amaterasu_ had laid out, finding that there was enough space on the right side of the paper for another person.

A man, whose every move somehow managed to be lucid and muddled all at once.

Tanned hands ran through blonde locks as Naruto let out a long sigh. What on earth was he doing, drawing these two men? Sure, he knew they were handsome. He had an artist's mind; he could see the beauty in things even most people wouldn't consider. So what had him so fixated on them? Even he wasn't sure, and a part of him didn't know if he was really willing to find out.

"You're up early." Came a perky voice from the direction of the hallway, a slightly squeaky yawn ran onto her sentence. He flicked the sketchpad on his chest to hide the picture from her eyes- not that he really needed to. It would just be awkward to try and explain, especially when he didn't really understand it himself.

"Ahh yeah I couldn't sleep. Did I wake ya?" He asked her, clearing his throat after hearing just how hoarse it was. Sakura shook her head and walked past him to the kitchen, the sound of the vacuum pushing the last bit of coffee into the pot filling the space in the quiet apartment.

"Nope. Pager went off, but it was just Tsunade insisting I take another day off." She said, pouring a cup of coffee for herself and taking a sip.

"Kinda shocked that she hasn't been giving you more time off." Naruto said, to which the pink haired nurse only hummed in response. He raised his eyebrow at the lack of response, but didn't question it.

She was after all interning to shave off some schooling to become a doctor. Tsunade obviously had a reason for working her so hard, he thought.

"How's the job hunting going?" his slightly slacked jaw clicked together hard. He vaguely remembered a distant promise he'd made to her a while back that he would start hunting for a job. It figured she'd would bring it up when she knew he hadn't slept all night. She seemed to have the least amount of sympathy when he was at his worst.

"Ahh, err… well…" He started, trailing off. He didn't like the way she was scowling at him, and the lack of light only made her scarier.

"Don't tell me you haven't even started looking?" She said, her voice in a warning tone that made the blonde wince and shrink back a little.

"I-I've looked." It wasn't a total lie. He'd gone online and did a bit of research the same day that they'd had that particular argument. He just never bothered to put in the applications, thinking he'd be able to start making and selling his artwork instead. Obviously that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Dammit Naruto, you need to put some actual effort in! I appreciate all the stuff you've been doing around the house, but there are bills that gotta get paid." She started. Naruto had to resist the urge to leave the room. He knew that she was right, but that didn't mean he appreciated getting lectured at the crack of dawn.

"I'll go around town today." He said, defeated. This was one of many things that he just couldn't win with, and he wasn't about to try. He just hoped him saying it was enough to get her off his back for the time being.

"I know you can do this. You've never had problems making friends or getting along with people, it'll be easy." He bent his neck over the arm of the couch and bit back a frustrated groan. Maybe for his high school self that was true, but he hadn't been comfortable around strangers in a long time. Minus of course a pair of brothers that he couldn't help but be comfortable around. The thought only made his face scrunch up more.

"Yeah I know." He said, and was grateful when his wife brought him a cup of coffee with his favorite French vanilla creamer, as a peace offering he guessed.

"I want proof. Pictures of filled out applications, or business cards to show you actually went into places. Anything. Please." She asked him, and he pulled his head up, his tired eyes looking up at her worried face. He knew she only meant well. She was just as worried about him as he was.

"I'll find something. I promise."

He prayed to Kami that he wouldn't end up eating those words.

A few hours and a small nap later, Naruto rummaged through his closet for something decent to wear. It had been a while since he actually needed anything relatively business oriented, and by that point he'd thrown most of everything away. After searching for a good half an hour he finally settled on a light blue polo and black slacks with matching shoes.

"Looking good." Sakura said, smoothing out the front of his shirt. Naruto couldn't help but notice that she still looked overtired and maybe a bit upset.

"Thanks." He said, giving her one of his forced grins. "Somethin' bothering you Sakura? You look like you're upset."

"Erm not really. Guess I'm still kinda tired." She told him, though he could tell she was lying. She had on one of her fake smiles as well. Part of him wondered if she could see through him in the same way, but at the same time hoped not. He didn't want to stress her out more.

She clasped her hands together gently behind her back and took a step to the side, presumably to admire her husband. Naruto felt like he should say something, but brushed the feeling off.

"Okay, well I'm off then. Don't throw a wild party and destroy the place while I'm gone." He joked, his signature grin never slipping from his face as she kissed his cheek and gave him a small pat on the back. The whole encounter left him feeling like he was run through with a blunt pole.

He couldn't let it get to him though, walking down to the covered parking where their chrome colored Hyundai was waiting to be driven. He didn't get the chance to drive often, Sakura always using the car to get to and from work, but it was something he'd always enjoyed. It gave him a bigger sense of freedom.

Despite the ninety degree heat he rolled down all the windows and turned off the AC before getting on the highway. A huge smile broke out on his face, feeling the wind tousle his blonde hair and the whoosh filling his ears, blanking his mind.

He wished it didn't have to end.

All too quickly, the place he had in mind came into view off the highway. A smaller mall that had taken up residence in more recent years on the land that used to house a high school. His smile fell, and he was half tempted to pass it up and keep driving.

Sighing, he pulled into the parking lot. He couldn't come home empty handed, not this time. She needed to know that he was willing to work.

He took it as a sign from a higher power to get his butt in gear, when there was a parking spot near one of the entrances. Begrudgingly he took it, parked, and stepped out of the car, locking the car remotely. His palms were sweaty, and he took the time to wipe them on his pants as he pocketed his keys and walked up to the doors.

Naruto balled his fists the closer he got to the slightly intimidating glass doors. Subconsciously he knew he could do this, but the challenge was more getting over the hurdle of whether or not he _wanted_ to do it. Letting out a breath he put a hand on the door and pushed it open, forcing his mind to shut down so he could begin his search.

Absently he began to admire the place. He'd always enjoyed the calm atmosphere about it. They had gone through the effort of putting a flowing creek through the center, benches and the occasional tree giving it more of a unique outdoorsy feel. The majority of the roof was made up of massive skylights that let copious amounts of light into the store during the day. They also had sturdy support beams, lights lining them to compensate for the lack of sunlight at night.

The blonde had come in through the food court which lacked the creek and trees, but still had plenty of sunlight, making it easy to see everyone and everything.

He almost turned tail when his eyes fell on familiar ashy eyes and hair.

"Itachi?" It was meant to be more of a personal statement than an effort to call out to the man, but he must of said it loud enough to catch the man in question's attention. At first Itachi seemed irritated, engrossed in something Naruto could only guess was work related on his laptop. He couldn't see the man- as elegant of a waiter he was- dressing in full business attire just to lounge casually at the mall.

Ash met blue, and any irritation that Naruto sensed from the man dissipated. He didn't miss the almost miniscule shift that he did, seemingly inviting the sun kissed male to join him at the table.

"It's not every day an acquaintance walks in and calls me out by my first name. you look well, Uzumaki." He said. Naruto let out a snort, taking the silent offer as he sat next to the groomed businessman.

"That sounds way too formal. I can call you Uchiha if ya want I guess, but just Naruto's fine." The blonde insisted, absentmindedly picking lint off his shirt. Compared to what the raven was wearing, he felt like an errand boy at best.

"I was being facetious." Whatever that meant, Naruto thought "What brings you to this side of town, Naruto? We're pretty far from the café." Naruto felt a shiver down his spine at the sound of his name.

"Oh, uh-uhm, I'm… job hunting." Naruto murmured, keeping his attention on the shirt he was wearing. There was no point in bluffing. He didn't notice when Itachi had closed the laptop and rested his elbows on the table, his full attention turning to the blonde.

"In that case, I hope you give your possible employers better eye contact than you are towards me." The raven partially teased, finding it oddly satisfying when Naruto was flustered.

Naruto finally looked up to meet his eyes, chuckling nervously. "Ehh sorry. It's been a long time since I went job hunting so I'm pretty nervous." He explained.

"It's alright. Shall we begin then?" Naruto blinked and tilted his head in confusion.

"Uh, we?"

"You want to apply for jobs but you're nervous. Perhaps having someone you know nearby will make it a little easier. I can also offer pointers, if you're interested." Itachi said. Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a small wave of guilt hitting him.

"It's really nice of you to offer. But I don't wanna get in the way of whatever your working on." He said, face falling as he said it. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't deny that having the elegant businessman practically hold his hand through the process was actually more than a little appealing.

"It's no trouble at all. I need the break." He insisted, standing and packed away his laptop before Naruto could protest further. For a split second, the blonde felt a rush of excitement as he got back on his feet, steering them in the direction of the first store he had in mind.

"Erm, thanks. For coming with." He told the raven, his hand running through his hair as they came to their first stop. Crate & Barrel hung over their heads, and Itachi lightly put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Just be yourself. I'm sure you'll do fine, Naruto." He said in encouragement, walking into the store in a different direction from management. For some reason the words calmed him, though he had a feeling it was just something to do with the man's overall persona. He was a natural calm to a storm.

Idly, He thought about Sasuke being the storm. One couldn't survive without the other.

With his mind currently distracted, it wasn't difficult for him to approach the management counter. He asked for an application and filled it out, making sure to snap a picture of it on his phone for Sakura before handing it back, casually waiving to the woman manning the counter.

He turned, about to leave and find Itachi, but he instantly crashed into a firm chest. Naruto looked up at the dark eyebrow arched at him in question.

"You aren't going to ask to speak to the manager?" He asked, and the blonde did his best to resist gawking.

"Uhm no, I-I just filled out an application." He explained. Itachi didn't seem convinced, looking up at the woman at the counter and flashed her a smile- one that Naruto could instantly tell was fake.

"He would like to speak to the manager, if they're available." Itachi explained quickly, making the woman at the counter swoon. A pang of anger shot through the blue eyed man as he watched, feeling it leave just as quickly as it came as confusion washed over him.

"I really dunno if that's a good idea." He murmured once the woman had scurried off to find the manager. The taller of the two rested his forearms against the counter, turning his attention back to his new pupil.

"It shows dedication. Shows that you actually want the job and are willing to impress to get it. Simply tell the manager that you've filled out and application and that you're looking forward to hearing back from them. You may even be presented with an interview today." He explained.

"You sure know what you're doing here." Naruto said in partial amazement, to which Itachi only glanced away briefly.

"Hn. You could say that. I work under my father as the operations manager for his company, so communication is extremely important." He explained, which only seemed to add on to Naruto's bewilderment.

"I thought you were the owner of the café? Or was Sasuke just saying that to fuck with me?" Naruto asked prickly.

"I do own it, but until business picks up running it is more of a hobby. It gives Sasuke and I an opportunity to earn money outside of our family's business and, when successful, can give us the opportunity to leave the family business altogether." Itachi explained casually. The blonde blinked.

"Oh my, Mister Uchiha! What brings you here today?" Came another woman's voice from behind the pair. If Naruto had questions before, they practically doubled when he realized it was the manager that recognized Itachi.

"This man is Naruto. He's a friend of mine and would like you to look over his application. Perhaps give him an interview at a more convenient time?" He asked and the manager looked from him to the blonde, poorly concealed astonishment written on her face.

Truthfully Naruto shared her bewilderment. They were friends? Sure, the idea wasn't a bad one by any means, but he'd only known him for a couple of hours at most. How did he know the manager, anyway?

"I'll take a look right away! Naruto, was it? How does tomorrow at nine work for an interview?" She asked

"That… Uhh, that would be great! Thank you so much!" He said, beaming as he shook her hand vigorously. He'd take the opportunity that was presented to him and roll with it.

Itachi smirked when he saw how happy the shorter male was. This was only the beginning though, and he put his hand on his friend's back to guide him out of the store.

"That was… way too easy." Naruto said, a smile on his face, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"My father owns this building, along with many others. All the stores here are leased out by him. If I told any of the managers here to jump, they'd ask how high. But you're right, it is too easy." Itachi said, turning his attention to Naruto once they were back out in the large lobby between stores.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto was gawking, trying his best not to let his jaw hit the floor. He had no clue that Itachi and Sasuke were prodigies in such a large business tycoon. It made him a little uneasy.

"I hope this doesn't mean you plan on starting to worship the ground I walk on like most people." The raven haired male asked coldly, causing the smaller male to come to his senses, a wave of guilt hitting him. How many people judged them, unfriended or even backstabbed them because their father had money.

"S-sorry, it was just a little shocking is all. So uhm, next store?" He asked, wandering off towards where he knew the next shop would be. He was pretty sure that Crate & Barrel would give him the job, but it almost seemed like he was using the Uchiha if he stopped after just one.

He decided to go in and apply at five more stores, insisting that Itachi wait outside for each one, though that didn't stop his friend from listening in and giving him new tips after each one. And after each one, Naruto felt more and more confident about getting a job with his own abilities.

"Mind if we stop in here a minute?" Itachi stopped abruptly as they walked in front of a store specifically for men's suits, causing Naruto to bump into his back lightly. Normally he could've just brushed it off, but there was something about his company that made his face heat up at the contact.

"Uh sure, why not? You've been following me around all day." He said, wandering into the crisp, clean shop. It was quiet and empty, and not hard to see why. There wasn't a single suit in the store priced under a king's ransom.

Not to mention the storekeeper looked a little creepy. "It's good to see you, Kakuzu." Itachi called to the man. He was wearing one of said expensive suits, black with green undertones. His hair was also slick, braided in the back and was obviously sporting large scars on his face that Naruto wanted to know nothing about.

"Always nice doing business with the owner's son, Itachi. What brings you in today?" The low voice asked. Naruto couldn't help but stand up a little straighter when piercing green eyes moved to him

"I would like to get Naruto fitted. He seems to prefer orange, if it's doable." The Uchiha said coolly, causing the blonde to do a double take.

"Wait, what? Me? A suit?" He asked, blinking rapidly. He didn't get a response as Itachi took a seat on one of the available cream lounge chairs and pulled out his phone, leaving him at the mercy of the scarred tailor.

"Right this way, Naruto." The gruff voice said, and Naruto obeyed half fearing for his life. He hadn't expected to be taken into a privet dressing room, stripped down to all his glory and measured in angles that he didn't even know existed until that moment. He praised Kami and any other higher deity listening that the tailor let him keep his underwear on, despite the measuring tape being pulled tight over his hips.

"Almost done." Kakuzu said after twenty minutes, taking one more measurement of the width of Naruto's neck- which he was sure at that point was a means to mess with him- before leaving the changing room. Naruto fidgeted, turning to look at himself briefly in a mirror mounted on the coffee colored wall and frowned. Insecurities started whispering in his head once more, making him suck in his stomach and try to wipe the dark circles from his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with the way you look, Naruto." Came a silky voice, causeing Naruto to turn and blush. Itachi had stuck his head in through the curtain, a light grey suit with an orange undershirt and kerchief hanging neatly on a hanger in his hand.

"We all have our insecurities. Though really, the only one who notices is usually the person harboring said insecurities." Itachi said, smiling softly. Naruto's blush didn't fade, nor did he say anything as he silently took the suit from Itachi's hand.

"Would you humor me and model this? It should be your size." He asks. Wordlessly Naruto nodded, pulling on the well-fitting shirt and pants once Itachi made his exit.

It was surprisingly comfortable for being a stuffy suit, and Naruto once again took in his appearance. He still looked tired, but the suit gave him more of a sophisticated edge to his lack of sleep. He inched his way out of the dressing room, polished gray shoes planting him on a platform Kakuzu lead him to, showing him from every angle.

"You've done it again." Itachi praised, leaning to tug at Naruto's suit subtly.

"Yeah this is… pretty freiken cool. Thanks for going through the effort." Naruto boasted, fixing the red tie around his neck a bit.

"I uh… can't afford it though." The shorter male said, stepping off the platform, deflated.

"Playing dress up can do wonders for one's self esteem." Itachi interjected, waving Naruto off towards the dressing rooms to change as he wandered to the front of the store with Kakuzu in tow.

It wasn't long until Naruto was changed back into his previous attire, handing the suit back to the tailor manning the front desk politely.

"Thanks for that. It was cool to see, and maybe one day I can grab one of your awesome suits." Naruto gave one of his infectious smiles, and Itachi couldn't help but smile too. He turned his attention back to a slip of paper on the counter and quickly signed his name.

"Will a week be enough time to have the one item?" The elder Uchiha asked, sliding the receipt back across the counter for Kakuzu and displayed the more than healthy sized tip.

"Yes, plenty. I've made enough of them for you that I can make them in my sleep, for the right price of course." He said, taking the receipt and placed it in a drawer that seemed full of similar papers.

"Your other request will be done in about three weeks, if you'd like to pick it up then." Kakuzu added, looking back over to Naruto. The blonde bit the inside of his cheek, resisting the urge to run out of the store faster than he could blink. He knew the man was trying to be friendly, but there was something about him that got under Naruto's skin.

"Thank you." Itachi said simply, walking out with Naruto hot on his heels. The blonde let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as they made their way back to the food court, slumping into one of the plastic chairs he'd been seated in that morning.

"Well I'd say that today's been pretty successful for you, Naruto." Itachi said, at some point ordering them both fruit crepes for lunch.

"Yeah, I guess it has. I've got three interviews tomorrow. Thanks for lunch, and ya know, following me around and letting me play dress up." Naruto said, munching on the round treat. He missed the smirk that Itachi gave him.

"Well it was the only way I could get your measurements for a uniform, after all." Itachi said casually. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, slowly taking another bite.

"Uniform? For… my interviews?" He asked, looking at the man with scrutinizing blue eyes.

"Ah those. Cancel them, I'll be paying you more than what they could offer anyway." Naruto blinked, wrapping up the bitten portion of his lunch and set it down on the table. Wait, was Uchiha Itachi actually offering him a job?

"That's not funny, you know. I really need this job." The blonde said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Good thing I wasn't joking. Amaterasu is understaffed and you passed your interview with flying colors." He started, placing his laptop back on the table before resting his head on top of the backs of his hands.

"You demonstrated that you're capable of following directions, executing them properly. When given advice you showed you could take criticism and work to better the task at hand. You've already proven that you have drive, and I suppose the fact that Sasuke likes you is an added bonus." Naruto was practically bouncing out of his seat.

"He does realize I am married, right?" Naruto says, scrunching up his face at the last bit since it was easier than trying to process the rest of it.

"I meant he likes you as a person." He reiterates. "My little brother is lacking in the friendship department, and I believe this will be a good opportunity for not just him, but both of you. Unless twelve an hour plus tips is too low of pay."

"Twelve dollars!? For making coffee and waiting tables!?" The blonde practically shouted, his voice echoing through the food court in disbelief.

"I'll only offer it once." Itachi said, taking a bit of his food and casually went back to work he'd put off on his laptop.

"Itachi, I can't, it's too-" Naruto was cut off before he could finish.

"Amaterasu is one of the few things I take pleasure from running. Right now there are only close friends and family working there, all of whom are paid the same. If I'm being honest I wanted to keep it that way so that we could save quicker for additional store locations. However, Sasuke is working more double shifts than not. He needs help, and out of everyone else I know who could work there, you are the only one I trust."

Naruto was quiet for a good minute, trying to process what all was said to him. Itachi trusted him that much? They'd only known each other for a day, if that. Then again, the man also made him feel comfortable in his own skin for the first time in ages. Naruto didn't necessarily want to admit it, but he had a good time with the man, even if it was just wandering around to stores job hunting.

"Guess I can't argue with that logic… when do I start?" Naruto asked, to which Itachi gave him one of his rare, soft smiles.

"Two weeks from today, if that works. Please take the time to learn all the recipes in advance." The raven haired employer handed over a booklet full of the complicated- and not so complicated- beverage recipes and terminology, as well as a sheet of paper with lines to fill out his name, number, and address.

"For practical purposes." He insisted. Naruto almost rolled his eyes, somehow feeling as though this was a clever way of asking for his number. Not that it mattered, he thought, filling out the paper quickly and passed it back to Itachi.

He should've been thinking about how excited Sakura would be when he told her he got a decent paying job. Instead, he was fighting off butterflies in his stomach at the idea of working with not one, but two handsome Uchiha's.


	4. Blue and Red

Naruto woke up to a loud banging sound and an empty bed. He grunted and shivered, furrowing his eyebrows together when the insistent banging noise didn't stop. He practically flew out of bed when he realized it was someone knocking at the door.

He grabbed a pair of orange sweatpants and threw them on real quick, praising his epic power walk through the living room and into the kitchen where the front door was and opened it curiously.

"…Sasuke? What're you doin here? And you could just have knocked once ya know, I heard you the first time!" Naruto chastised the annoyed looking Uchiha. He yawned and took in the sight of the man at his door lazily. Pale arms were crossed in front of a black t-shirt that complimented the black skinny jeans the man was also wearing, black hair combed back in its usual duck's rear fashion.

Had anybody else shown up wearing that much black, Naruto probably would have yelled at them and called the cops. Yet somehow, he thought, Sasuke managed to pull it off nicely.

"Dobe, you did not hear me the first time. I've been sitting out here knocking on your door for the last fifteen minutes." Sasuke said, gripping his forearm tighter as the new employee tried his patience. The blonde blinked, looking as though he was about to bellow out an apology when he had an epiphany.

"Don't call me a dobe, you teme! What are you doin' here?" He asked again, crossing his arms in a similar fashion. It was too damn early to be dealing with the bastard at his front door in his opinion. He watched as Sasuke's eyebrows shot up in annoyance.

"Seriously? You start work today, Naruto. Itachi forced me to drive over here to give you your uniform and a ride since it's your first day, and I'm training you." The raven haired male said, scoffing as he handed over a carefully wrapped paper package. Naruto recognized the return address as being from the mall, no doubt Kakuzu made it custom fit with the measurements he took two weeks ago.

"Oh, shoot. Alright, yeah, fine, come in." The blonde moved to the side, Allowing Sasuke to walk in as he carefully took the package.

"Uh, make yourself at home." Naruto said sheepishly, turning on a light since he was sure Sasuke couldn't see with all the curtains shut tight. A pale head nodded, and Naruto ran back to his bathroom to get ready.

He was totally flustered. Sasuke had been right, he had totally forgotten about the fact that he was starting his job today of all days. He'd been too caught up in worrying about Sakura's absence. Ever since he came back and told her that he was hired at Amaterasu, the pink haired woman had been spending less and less time at home, even less than what her overtime hours called for. Hell, there were days that she hadn't even come home.

Naruto stripped quick and hopped into the shower, frowning. She'd been answering his messages occasionally, so he knew that she wasn't in any danger at the very least. But whenever he asked what she was doing or when she was coming home, she couldn't give him a definite answer. It was always ' _work_ ' and ' _don't know_ '. The lack of communication had started stressing him out, and part of him could hardly believe two weeks had gone by already.

He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, moving to the sink to brush his teeth. The worry was showing up on his face as his normal eye bags seemed to double in size. He couldn't worry about it anymore though, he had his manager waiting for him in the living room and a full day ahead of him.

Once he was satisfied that his breath was minty fresh and he was clean, he moved back into the bedroom and pulled out the butler-esque outfit from its packaging with a grimace. He'd have to bring up the idea about possibly changing the uniform with Itachi before he decides to branch out.

Assuming he'd last longer than a week at his new job, he thought.

Thankfully the outfit was comfortable, no doubt thanks to the creepy tailor. He fixed his bowtie for the third time and examined himself in the full length mirror Sakura put up in their room. He grinned and ran a hand through his hair at his reflection. Even he had to admit he looked good.

Satisfied, he opened the door and out to the hallway. He noticed that the door to his studio was opened and a sense of dread washed over him. He was positive he'd shut it the night before.

"Sasuke?" He called out, and sure enough he found the cocky bastard seated at his desk, flipping through the sketchbook he'd been carrying around for the past month. Horrified, Naruto quick moved and grabbed the cover of the book to shut it, catching one of his pale hands between the pages and underneath the blonde's hand.

The damage had already been done though, as Sasuke looked up at Naruto with a knowing smirk. "You're really good. Though if you're going to use someone as a model it's polite to ask for permission first."

"You bastard, this is my privet studio, you can't just barge in and start snooping around!" He said in protest, cheeks bright red in embarrassment.

"Hn. You said to make myself at home. I was just looking for the bathroom." Sasuke said, his tone feigning an innocence that anyone could tell was fake. He moved his hand out from under the paper, brushing off the graphite residue on his pants. If it was possible his smirk grew as he pinched Naruto's cheek with the same hand he'd just brushed off.

"Knew there was something I liked about you. Let's go, we're late." He said, leaving a sputtering blonde to compose himself as he made his way back out the front door. Naruto growled at him, balling his fists and ran out the door.

"TEME!" He yelled, anger winning out over his embarrassment as he chased Sasuke to his car. He barely managed to remember to lock the door behind him on the way out.

"You've got no right to criticize me on what I decide to draw, bastard!" He huffed, glaring over the car and folded his arms as the Uchiha gave him a bored look.

"I'm not criticizing you, I just said they were good. If you feel the need to privately obsess over me and my brother by all means do it. Don't let me stop you." Sasuke said, climbing into the driver's side of his sleek black corvette. Naruto resisted the urge to knock the smug smirk off of his new manager's face, opting instead to climb in and ignore the man in favor of the dew drops sliding down the car window.

The ride to the café was taken in silence, letting the weight of the situation sink in as the scenery passed by all too quickly. He could have easily compromised his new job by letting his inner musings fester on paper. No matter how smooth the mall trip had been, he didn't think Itachi would be all that understanding of him drawing the two brothers if Sasuke chose to bring it up.

The paler male sighed and switched off the ignition once they were in the parking lot. He could practically taste the tension radiating from his passenger.

"Relax, Naruto. I'm not mad, and if you don't want me to say anything to Itachi, I won't. Don't let it ruin your first day. It's an easy job, and if you can get over the hurdle of training it can be fun." He asked softly. Naruto let out a long sigh, visibly relaxing as he finally acknowledged the man next to him, a range of emotion from hurt to fear showing in those blue eyes of his.

"Please don't tell Itachi. It's a privet sketchbook for a reason and I need this job." He pleaded, any sign of anger gone by that point.

"If anything Itachi would get a kick out of it, but I won't. Just forget this morning happened and just enjoy yourself." Despite better judgement, Sasuke rested his hand on Naruto's knee, giving the blonde one of his rare soft smiles in return for all the grief. He knew that he was diving into the deep end like this, but he knew he had stuck his nose where it didn't belong. At that moment he couldn't bring himself to care, either.

"Yeah I guess." The blonde said, defeated as he threw the seatbelt off his body. He was still mad, but feeling Sasuke try his best to comfort him was oddly soothing. He gave his manager a look before opening the door, shivering a bit. It had started raining on the way to work.

Sasuke followed his example and hopped out of the car, put his seat down and grabbed a bag presumably full of his work clothes.

"Sasori and Deidara should already be working the counter. For now, just work on helping them make the easier drinks. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and don't let Deidara harass you too much." Sasuke said and beckoned for Naruto to follow him in.

The first two hours were rocky for the new blonde. He learned very quickly that neither of the two behind the counter had any patience, Deidara yelling at him for little mistakes or literal spilt milk, and Sasori opted to ignore him completely aside from sending him to remake the drinks again.

Sasuke took notice of his stress eyed charge and sighed. He'd expected Deidara's crudeness, but this was to the point where he had to hold himself back from whacking the red headed barista with his serving tray, too.

"If neither of you can handle giving some proper direction then one of you trade positions with me." He said, irritation written all over his face and tone. He wanted Naruto to feel welcomed to his new job, and the two employees certainly weren't helping with that.

"I'll trade! Get better tips on the floor anyway, yeah." Deidara said, handing the current drink order to Sasuke and took the tray out of the raven's hand. He let out a breath he'd been holding and read the order. It was a fairly long list, but they were also relatively easy drinks.

"Two medium iced mocha's, one revolver, one caramel cielo, and two small iced chai's. Sasori, take the first two. I'll make the revolver and cielo. Naruto, you make the chai's. The tea itself is premade every morning, so you just need to add the powder ingredients and ice." He said as he took control of the situation.

Naruto looked up from the spot on the maroon countertops that he'd found appealing, trying to calm himself down as the Uchiha took the reins. "I dunno if I can do this, Sasuke." He said, nervously shifting as he struggled to focus on what he was supposed to be doing.

"Yes, you can. Everything takes practice to get good at, and It's no secret that once you set your mind to something you'll do it, and get it done right." The blonde's face tinged pink at that, which didn't go unnoticed by their coworker

"Is there something you two would like to share? I thought you said he was married, Sasuke. Threesome?" The red head asked, keeping a straight face as he stirred one of the two mocha's.

"I am married and no kinky shit happening there, thank you very much!" The blonde said. The Uchiha only smirked and ushered his charge in the direction of all of the tea supplies.

The short interaction seemed to calm Naruto's nerves, or at least distract him enough that he was able to get the small job done. He pulled out the little booklet Itachi gave him a couple of times to get the right ratios, but for the most part it had been smooth sailing. He smiled as he set the iced drinks down next to the two barista's on a serving platter.

"Looks good. Now take it to table four." Sasuke said, and Naruto looked at him with furrowed brows.

"I thought Deidara was serving?" He asked carefully.

"What he doesn't know won't kill him. Besides, it's easier for you just to earn his tips rather than dock his pay for a shitty attitude." He said, though he was looking at Sasori who was clearly not amused.

"Okay…" The blonde looked at the awkward serving platter for a bit, testing the waters by putting his fingers underneath so that he could pick it up levelly. It took a minute, but he managed to take the order over to one of the larger round tables, a group of women around his age talking about a new book that'd been released recently.

He could tell almost immediately which of the women had ordered the six shots of espresso.

"Here you are ladies." He said, forcing a smile like he had numerous times when he worked at the ramen shop. He may not have necessarily been comfortable with strangers, but he was a natural working with them. It didn't take long to call off all the drinks and gave them out appropriately. Regrettably, he set the six shot revolver in front of a woman who looked as though she hadn't been able to sleep in days, eyes wide open and hair a frizzy mess.

"Let us know if there's anything else we can get for you." He said, noting when one of the women who'd ordered a mocha waved her hand at him casually. She had black, straight hair that seemed to go to her waist.

It didn't look nearly as soft as Sasuke's hair.

He mentally shook himself. "Yeah, u-uhm… are you doing anything tonight?" the woman asked and Naruto cocked his head. What was it with everyone seeming to want to give him attention recently?

"Well I uhh…" Naruto shifted. He didn't really have anything going, and he knew that he should have just immediately shut the girl down. But he didn't have any sort of excuse to give, and for some reason he just couldn't manage to tell her that he was married.

"He has plans tonight. The boss wants to see him after work today." The blonde nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a cool, pale arm rest on his shoulders and touch the back of his neck. He hadn't seen or heard the man coming, but with his mouth being almost as useful as tongueflaps he was grateful for the sudden excuse to get out of a bad situation.

Another one of the women pouted. "No fair, Sasuke. All of the men here are either taken, gay, or both. Let us have a little fun with the newbie!" She whined in protest. It was the one thing that all women seemed to do, that the blonde couldn't stand. Sasuke didn't seem to falter in the slightest in the shadow of her mini tantrum.

"'The newble' falls into the taken category." The Uchiha corrected, and with no shame lifted up Naruto's left hand that was still between their sides, his silver ring glinting under one of the red glass lights in the café.

There were gasps and giggles that resonated around the table as the women looked between the two.

"You didn't tell us you were married, Sasuke! Where's your ring?" a small blonde asked. Naruto did a double take as he almost dropped the serving tray from his hands, sputtering incoherent gibberish at them while his manager only smirked.

"In your dreams, ladies." He said, his persona charming but his tone was flatter than flat.

"My wi-wife is a, uh… nurse. She's a nurse. Yeah." Naruto said once he was able to form some semblance of a sentence. The girls looked almost put out at the sudden realization whispering among each other thinking the pair of waiters couldn't hear them.

"Is he for real? They're so cute though!" One whispered, and the earlier embarrassment the blonde felt earlier came back full force at that. Did they really look good together?

He needed to push the thought away. At the same time though, he absently wished he was as good at self-portraits as he was drawing other people. He wanted to see if they really looked good or not.

For shits and giggles, he added mentally.

"We'll be taking our leave now. Enjoy your drinks, and tip your waiter well." Sasuke said, his arm finally sliding off of Naruto, but kept the charming smirk plastered firmly on his face. The mirth didn't extend past that.

He found that he missed the contact almost immediately. The touch was replaced by a pair of onyx eyes beckoning for him to follow, and like a dog following its master he happily complied.

Instead of going back behind the counter, Sasuke beckoned for the blonde to follow him down one of the narrow hallways. There was a pair of push doors that had an 'employees only' sign. The manager pushed past them without any thought, but it took Naruto a minute for him to register that he was, in fact, an employee and could go to the back.

There were boxes both empty and full stacked in random places, with there being a decent sized walk-in refrigerator to the left. To the right was a door, which he guessed was the entrance to Itachi's office.

Sasuke opened his brother's office with a key Naruto assumed only he got the privilege to have, stepping in and flipped on the light. Absently, He noted a slew of random, strewn papers on a desk with a neat stack of law textbooks on the floor close by. At the top of the stack of books was a mechanical box of sorts, one which the blonde had seen before but he couldn't put his finger on where.

"I need a minute." The raven explained, his dead tone now filled with an anger that wasn't there before. It startled the new employee, making him wonder if he'd done something wrong at the table or if something else was bothering him.

"Yeah, sure." Naruto noted, though he shuffled awkwardly at the threshold of the office. He didn't know whether he was allowed to go in or if the man wanted his privacy, but Sasuke answered by stepping out of the office and shut the self-locking door behind him.

"Out back." He said, holding up the box as if it explained everything. Naruto scrunched up his nose in disbelief as they headed out the back door. It was considerably cooler than it had been that morning, the short bursts of rain cooling things off and kept the sun's harsh rays from getting too direct.

"You vape? Seriously?" The blonde asked as he kicked a piece of concrete out to an empty portion of the parking lot. Instead of a verbal response, Sasuke placed the mouth piece to his lips and pressed the button on the side, inhaling deeply.

"Is it that hard to believe?" He asked, letting the vapors naturally escape from his mouth and nose has he spoke.

"Yeah, kinda. You come off as a really big health nut." He said, remembering how the man had gotten onto him about his choice of beverage a few weeks back. It hadn't felt like it'd been that long since he last visited the place.

"This is better than the cancer sticks," Sasuke started defending his actions, taking another puff before he sighed.

"Everyone has their habits. I took up vaping two years ago when my father decided to throw me into law school without consultation." He noted sourly before pocketing the little device.

"I'm trying to quit." He added as an afterthought. Naruto nodded, looking up at the man with curiosity.

"No offense, but your dad seems kinda controlling from what I've heard. Is that what pissed you off inside, or… something else?" He asked nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. He was sure he was about to get reprimanded, but the raven haired man only shook his head.

"I just lost focus. It's nothing important." He said curtly, making the blonde even more confused than he was before.

"Then why have me come with you? I'm guessing ya didn't have me follow just to watch you smoke." Naruto deduced, his eyes meeting Sasuke's calculating ones. The paler man shrugged and finally looked away towards the pavement.

"You're good company." It was a simple answer, but it made his heart thump harder in his chest as his cheeks flushed.

"Oh. Thanks, I guess." He murmured. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, though strangely it wasn't uncomfortable in the least. When Deidara came outside, they both looked pretty let down.

"Oi, if you're gonna make the newbie take my tips, then the least you could do is stay inside and work instead of sneak out the back for a secret make out session or whatever, yeah?" the irritated long haired blonde said, tapping his foot with a mixing spoon in hand. This time, Naruto didn't even flinch at the comment.

Maybe they really did look good together.

Even in the comforting silence though, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Something important, not that it really mattered whether or not he felt comfortable anyway.

"Make sure to tell Sasori to put your panties on right tomorrow." Sasuke said. There was still a bite to his words, but he was nowhere near as irritated as he had been when they'd first walked out.

"Tch, like you're one to talk Uchiha. You need to stop being a prissy boy and get laid." Deidara quipped. Naruto eyed the manager as he looked like he was about to retaliate, but he closed his mouth, instead following their fellow coworker back into the café. Naruto fleetingly wondered what the raven was about to say, but shoved the thought away as he followed hot on the man's heels.

The rest of his shift seemed to fly by. True to Sasuke's word, once he got into the swing of things the job didn't seem nearly as bad. He was found to be a natural out on the floor, too.

"Go ahead and finish the orders your working on, dobe. The others should be here in ten minutes." Sasuke called out while he made quick work of the dirty cups in the wash basin. Naruto had on a grin from ear to ear as he gave the manager a thumbs up and left to serve his last customer of the day.

He could hardly believe it was already three in the afternoon. Once the to go cups were on the table the couple moved to leave, giving Naruto one of many tips he'd received that day- tips that Deidara swore himself out of that morning. By the end of the day though the more gothic looking blonde didn't seem to care much.

Naruto hadn't noticed the empty café over the hum of water constantly running. Sasori had discreetly locked up and switched the sign to 'closed' some time ago. It was around that same time, that the four evening shift workers walked in from the back, Itachi included among them.

"Looks like someone's had a good time." The silky voice called from the customer side of the counter. Naruto had started putting the cups away for Sasuke, and the older Uchiha's appearance only brightened his mood more.

"Yeah, I had a great time! Sasuke's a great manager. Er, he's a good guy too, if you can look past the surface bastard anyway." He said, causing the mentioned man's eyebrow to twitch up a fraction in irritation.

"Ahh kids. Itachi, they're in love and so in denial. It's sickening and kinda cute, yeah?" Deidara said, resting his upper body on the businessman's shoulder with a dramatic sigh. Itachi chuckled low in his throat, and it was enough of a catalyst for Sasuke to turn and point accusingly at the girly man with a spoon.

"I gave Naruto his tables once. I'm not against doing it again." He warned the two, least as threatening as he could look holding up a spoon uncharacteristically. Naruto seemed to notice that it was one side of the young brother that only came out when the elder was around. And Itachi always seemed happier when Sasuke was in the room. They completed each other

They complimented each other.

Naruto visibly shook that thought out of his head. It was one thing for people to think that him and Sasuke looked good. But brothers? That was preposterous. The thought shouldn't have even come near crossing through his mind. Yet there it was, flashing its ugly colors like a neon sign.

Suddenly it made a lot of sense why most neon signs were red and blue.

"I'm utterly shaking, little brother." Itachi challenged, humor dancing in his ash eyes as he slowly peeled Deidara off his shoulder.

"Sasuke, no more handing off Deidara's customers. Deidara, you need to play nice with everyone else." The man scolded lightly, earning a victory raspberry from the gothic blonde as he flipped his hair and turned to join his red headed boyfriend. Naruto couldn't help but snort and laugh a little at the comical sight taking place.

"You kiddo's need to quit bickering so we can chow down." Came a voice with a slight accent. Naruto nearly did a double take as a large man walked in, carrying four large grocery bags and set them on the table. He was easily in the upper six-foot range, blue hair gleaming in a way that made his face seem as though it was blue, as well.

"Like your one to talk, Kisame." A female voice chimed. She also had blue hair and a small smile on her face, drawing attention away from the pierced man standing next to her.

"Oh my, he is pretty cute. He's going to be popular with the customers, I'm sure." The woman said, earning a stoic nod from the pierced man as he sat at the table.

"He already is." Sasuke said, a mixture of amusement and something Naruto couldn't put his finger on in his voice. Was it jealousy? No, now he knew he was thinking too hard.

"Yeah, he kept stealing all my damn customers!" Deidara said in a huff as he hung off Sasori much like he had with Itachi. Naruto sheepishly scratched at the markings on his face.

"So uh, these are your friends?" The blonde asked the eldest Uchiha, who gave a reluctant nod.

"I assume you've already met Deidara and Sasori. My friends and coworkers at night are Konan, her spouse Pein, and my oldest friend Kisame.

"Itachi didn't meet these kiddies 'till high school, but we were friends in elementary." Kisame explained, giving Naruto a toothly grin that would likely give him nightmares for weeks. There was definitely some body modification going on for him, as well.

"Most of them are irrational and immoral, however." Pein said, giving the new employee a curt nod.

"It's nice to finally meet you. The brothers have mentioned you on numerous occasions." He was in between shock and embarrassment at that, feeling his face heat up at the implication Pein was laying on him. Sasuke brought over a tray of drinks, and for a moment Naruto thought he could see a tinge of pink on his pale cheeks, as well.

"He's definitely worth the chatter. And seeing as my café is still in one piece I think I made the right desicion." Itachi said, running a hand through the blonde's soft, short locks. Naruto looked up at his boss and blushed up to his ears, while Deidara's eyes widened as he beamed at the sight.

"Damn, and I thought you looked adorable with Sasuke!" He gasped, painted turquoise nails covering his mouth as he made this new discovery. It made Naruto's cheeks burn brighter, if tit was possible, though he found he was partially grateful when Itachi kept his hand on his head comfortingly.

They all complimented each other, he thought.

"What's all this stuff anyway?" Naruto finally asked, his voice breaking despite his best efforts. Sasuke smirked and put his arm over Naruto's shoulders like he had earlier today

Naruto practically melted into the pair of hands touching him.

"We're celebrating, dobe. Welcoming you to the staff." The younger Uchiha explained while Sasori started untying the bags full of food to distribute.

"More like welcoming you to hell, if it's all the same to you." The red head muttered, earning a couple of laughs as he passed the food around to people.

"Now, now. It's not all that bad once you get past the initial shock." Konan chimed in, breaking her chopsticks as she opened the Styrofoam box full of her sushi.

"Teme… Tachi…" Naruto said. It had meant to be a partial threat, but his voice ended up cracking more as his throat began to burn. Tears were stinging at his eyes, but he had a wide grin on his face. It had been years since he felt that happy.

"Well don't just gawk and sniffle kid, dig in!" Kisame said with a laugh, pulling out the chair next to him for the blonde. Naruto didn't want to move, but eventually he forced himself to tug away from the warming touches the brothers seemed to have, opening his own box of sushi. His unshed tears sunk into his mouth to make it water excitedly.

"Thank you, everyone!" He chimed, digging in happily. Adjacent to the table, Sasuke looked over to Itachi with a silent, knowing smirk, which the older brother returned in earnest. Things were about to get interesting in _Ameterasu_.

After a long meal, some drinks and games, Naruto ended up staying at the café until well past seven in the evening. Itachi had hitched a ride from Kisame on the way to his establishment, and since Sasuke was his ride home Naruto ended up having to climb into the back of the convertible. Not that he minded.

"Oh hey, Sakura's home! Man, I can't wait to tell her how today went. It was amazing!" Naruto called out. He had opted for the middle seat in the back so he could stick his head up between the two brothers to chat.

"I'm sure she'll love to hear about it." Itachi said, turning his head to look down at the blonde's peeking head with a smile.

Sasuke turned and came to a stop in the parking spot he'd taken that morning, glancing down as he pulled on the emergency brake out of habit. "I don't think she'll be hearing much over Naruto's loud cries." He said, teasing the newbie. Nruto growled and pouted.

"Shut up, teme… I'm not that loud." He mumbled, waiving off what seemed to be an infinite amount of sexual innuendos being targeted at him that day.

"Hn. Sure. Call me in the morning if you end up needing a ride." The younger of the two said, handing Naruto a green sticky note with his number written neatly on it.

"If he doesn't pick up you may call me, as well. I'm usually up early, despite working later." Itachi added and Naruto nodded.

"Thanks guys. For everything, really. This… Today's been great despite, uh, this morning." Naruto said. Itachi raised an eyebrow at that, but Sasuke quickly shook his head as if bidding him not to ask.

"We're glad. Goodnight, Naruto." Itachi opted to say instead as the younger Uchiha stepped out of the car, putting his seat down for the tan male to once again climb over. He gave Sasuke one of his infectious smiles, and in turn got a smile back as he waved and headed to his apartment.

He bounced up the stairs in two's, grinning like a madman as he got to the door and unlocked it quickly. He was super excited about how that day went, and excited about working at the café from that point on.

"Hey Sakura, I'm home! You'll never guess what happened t-" Naruto stopped short when he walked in, any thoughts or feelings of happiness bottoming out in his stomach. Dread took over as he saw duffel bags, suitcases, and even some clear bags full of his stuff, his art supplies set aside and canvases lined neatly on top of the luggage.

Sakura was sitting on the couch. She looked up at Naruto with a sad smile, her cheeks obviously stained with tears that had to of been free flowing for hours. The nurse licked her bottom lip, swallowing hard as she picked up a stack of papers sitting on the coffee table and neatly packed them together.

"Naruto… we need to talk." She said, her voice hoarse from crying. Naruto dropped his keys on the floor, eyeing her with anguish in his face. He dared himself to look at the stack of papers she held in her hand.

The word 'DIVORCE' was typed in big, bold, nasty letters.

 _A/N: That hurt my feels too, for what it's worth. It had to happen, though._

 _This chapter was brought to you by many youtube videos, some coffee, long ass rants to people about how on earth I was going to make Sasuke… well, Sasuke, and slightly blurred vision from staring at the screen too long -thumbs up-_

 _On a much lighter note, thank you so much to everyone that has left reviews/comments! They help fuel the fire that is my soul, and so far has helped me push out three chapters in three weeks, which for me is almost unheard of these days. I hope to be able to continue this pattern and push out another chapter next… Wednesday? Yeah, that seems right._

 _Also on a sort of off-topic note, I'm generally a shy, awkward person. I wouldn't mind talking to other shy -or not shy- socially awkward people about life, the universe, and everything -coughbemyfriendcough-. If, you know, me breaking Naruto's heart didn't end up also being a deal breaker. -sweats-_

 _Until next time!_


	5. Divorce

There were few people that Gaara Sabaku could tolerate. There were even fewer still that he would actually extend a helping hand to, if a nice neighbor needed milk or a friend a ride to work. He could count on one hand just how many people he would let get away with pounding at his door at eleven at night after a long Monday at work.

He hoped for their sake they were one of them.

After the fourth or fifth knock the young politician sighed, standing up from the desk set up in the living room of the large home he shared with his siblings. Someone was obviously desperate, and as irritated as the red head was, he wasn't cruel enough to ignore them forever.

He looked through the peephole on the front door, eyes widening a fraction before opening the door up. It was definitely someone Gaara could tolerate since he knew it would never happen in a normal situation. What was Naruto doing there?

He opened the door and gave the blonde one of his stoic, curt nods. "Uzumaki." He greeted. Naruto seemed worn out both mentally and physically. Tired, blue orbs stared at him with grief.

"H-hey Gaara, C-can I…?" The blonde started, choking back a sob. Jade eyes peered over the man at his door and eyed three distinct bags, one of which Gaara recognized as his art supplies even after all these years. The butler-esque outfit he wore also looked soaked through, giving the impression that he walked the three-mile trek between his apartment complex and the sandy colored house the red head lived in.

"I'll grab some towels and call Temari. You can leave your stuff in the spare room for now and shower before you get sick." The read head offered, stepping away from the door in an open invitation as he headed to the linen closet down the long hallway. He heard his friend shuffle in slowly and walk into the first door to the left where they'd always housed guests. Even after four years it still looked the same as the last time Naruto stayed over. It gave the man a foreign sense of comfort in light of everything that happened that night.

Gaara walked in the room and didn't bother with questions. He laid two fluff towels on the bed and immediately dug into the hard, black suitcase the blonde had brought with him. The clothes had thankfully made it through the storm dry and Gaara quickly put together an outfit, handing everything to his wet friend.

"Shower first." He ordered and Naruto just nodded numbly, heading back out and down the hallway. Gaara waited until he heard the bathroom door shut before he furrowed his brow in irritation. If Sakura was going to kick him out for one reason or another, the least she could've done was give him a ride.

He shook his head and opened the soaked duffel bag, grabbing a laundry basket to put the damp clothes in and took them to the laundry room. He knew Temari would likely run them through the wash when she got home the next morning from her boyfriend's house.

Unsurprisingly when he called her shortly after, the fiery woman was cursing up a storm. She'd never liked Sakura for her own reasons, but above all Naruto was like family to the Sabaku's. She didn't want to see him get hurt, the same way she didn't want Gaara to get hurt.

When she asked if she should head home early, Gaara declined quickly. It wasn't fair to her to make the two-hour drive back so late at night, and he had a feeling his friend wouldn't want to vent if she was there to listen, anyway. Naruto knew for a fact that Temari was the type to be out for blood, and she'd easily risk prison if it meant protecting one of her own.

"He's staying here tonight, and possibly longer. I'm not sure how bad the situation is, but I'm sure he'll tell me when he gets out." Gaara said calmly into the phone as he went back into the guest room. He opened Naruto's art bag to check and make sure his sketchbooks were still intact, holding the phone to his ear as he did so.

 _"Make sure he knows that he's welcome to stay as long as he needs to."_ Temari said in her calm and assertive voice. Gaara furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips when he pulled out a stack of papers loosely held together by a paperclip.

"…That could be a while." He states, though his voice gave away none of the sadness and anger he held at the offending stack of divorce papers. He remembered when the blonde had asked him to be one of his groomsmen at the wedding four years ago.

Sakura had already signed her portion.

 _"That's fine. Even if it's for a week or two, he's always welcome. You know that."_ Temari spoke before she started talking in a muffled tone, no doubt telling Shikamaru the situation.

 _"Just make sure Kankuro knows before he gets home from New York Wednesday."_ She added. Gaara nodded absently, giving her a sound of acknowledgement before hanging up. For the moment he set the stack of papers on a tall light-wooded dresser, moving on to check more important things in the bag.

Naruto had always drawn impulsively, things that wouldn't and didn't make sense to anyone but him, and even that might be a long stretch. The red head knew better though. Whether he believed it or not, Naruto only drew things he was fond of, be it people, places or objects. His high school sketchbooks were sporadic.

There would be portraits of the morning sun peeking in through large school windows before class began, doodles of lunch tables filled with friends. Gaara had seen himself once or twice through Naruto's drawings, and he always seemed to capture everyone just right.

Gaara was very quick to notice that his newest sketchbook had a singular subject. OR rather, a plural pair of what had to be brothers, all drawn n graphite pencil. It was different from Naruto's usual colorful works, obviously going for the dark and mysterious vibe, and it wasn't hard to see why. The men he drew were gorgeous.

Part of him wondered if they were the reason for the divorce. But he knew Naruto would never cheat on Sakura.

He heard the shower turn off and he closed the sketchbook, throwing it onto the mute grey and blue comforter on the guest bed. Everything in there had been bought with Naruto at the time, and Temari occasionally went in and made sure everything was clean and dusted.

"Sorry that took so long." The blonde said, throwing on an orange shirt over the grey sweats he had on. He looked like He's been through a meat grinder, and Gaara didn't miss the slight limp the man had probably from walking all that way in the rain.

"Don't apologize, Naruto." He said softly, tilting his head in confusion at his friend.

"I could have picked you up. Why are you and Sakura getting a divorce?" He asked, deciding not to beat around the bush. Naruto gave a dry, humorless laugh as he looked at all his possessions on or around the bed.

"I-I didn't really think about it. You saw that, huh?" Naruto's voice was hoarse, as if he'd been yelling at a football game not too long ago. If only that was the case, Gaara thought bitterly. The blonde opened his mouth, his jaw slack as he tried to form words but ended up shaking his head.

"I know it's late, but… can we go somewhere? It's too quiet… a-and I kinda wanna loosen up before going into… that."

He looked up at Gaara's calm gaze with sad, pleading eyes. It was a lot to ask of the young and busy politician, but the minute he saw his friend at his door, Gaara had known that the next day would be a work from home kind of day.

"Just don't make a habit out of it. Sai will probably be grateful for a ride home anyway, if you're willing to stay until two." The red head said, and Naruto nodded. It'd been a while since they saw their bartender friend.

About an hour later, they were parked in front of the bar near the University of Konoha. A lot of their high school friends were still going to school there, and frequented the bar almost every Friday. Thankfully it was Monday night, which meant he'd most likely get the company of his best friend and their bartender, while the rest of the place stayed dead during his sob story.

"I just… I dunno what happened." The blonde licked his chapped lips as he spoke, taking a seat at the quiet glass bar. Sai saw the look on Naruto's face and opted to say nothing, instead wandering to the other side of the bar to give the two privacy and make what he knew were their favorite drinks.

"I mean sure, we argued. We argued a lot, but isn't that what couples do? A-and I know that I-I haven't been the best at taking care of stuff lately, but I thought I was doing better. Kept the house clean, got a job... Fuck, Gaara, today was my first day and she knew it. And I came h-home, a-and…"

He didn't need to finish his sentence as Sai came back with their drinks.

"Something tells me she's been planning this for a long time." The red head murmured, leaning over the counter as he tipped back his drink, taking a swallow. He turned to his friend reluctantly, noting how his rum and coke was already down the chute.

"She didn't cheat on you, did she?" Gaara asked incredulously.

"No… Maybe? I don't think she would've even had the time to. Tsunade-Baa woulda called if Sakura didn't make it in. And besides… she was working overtime to earn money for a lawyer." His nose scrunched up at that as he tapped a short nail on the counter, signaling for Sai to fill his glass again.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the smile Sai had on his face. He knew for a fact that meant by the end of the week, all his friends would be calling him out of pity for his failed marriage. Stupid Sai with his stupid gossip.

"She said… That we just weren't compatible anymore. There were too many dreams that she had that I didn't share, and I was just weighing her down. She... Didn't wanna be a brain surgeon with a d-deabeat husband." He got out, throwing down yet another glass of rum and coke. His throat burned, but he knew it wasn't from the alcohol as his eyes stung with more tears. He sighed and chewed at his bottom lip.

"Ehh she used a lot nicer phrases, but that's basically what it all meant. I guess the reason she snapped and finally started pushing me so hard to get another job was so that she didn't feel as bad leaving."

"Relationships aren't supposed to be easy, Naruto. She should've been lifting you up, not looking for an out. That will always be on her, and she may remember it when someone decides she's too much work for them." Gaara mused, swirling the drink in his hand though didn't drink much more. He still needed to be sober enough to drive home, and hopefully avoid getting a hangover the next morning so he could work and take care of his friend.

"Yeah, but I coulda done better. I know I could. I shoulda made sure to push out more drawings to sell, or even just got a better job right after I quit the ramen shop. Maybe I coulda helped figure out solutions for our lack of sex life." Naruto thought as his body warmed, his mind beginning to get fuzzy from the alcohol coursing through his veins.

"Perhaps you could have. But as I recall she asked you to quit the ramen shop in the first place. She was also the one who refused to go to the clinic even though she was the one having complications." His friend pointed out, trying to keep vague on the details Naruto had really gotten into before. Gaara didn't need nor want to know more about his best friend's heterosexual sex life. He personally was quite happy with batting for the other team.

"Guess it doesn't really matter anymore, anyway, does it?" Naruto said, raking a hand through his blonde locks with a frustrated sigh. As much as Gaara wanted to help though, he knew he couldn't make the pain go away. He could only watch and listen.

He decided to play it safe and not answer. "Temari wouldn't mind if you moved in with us. And Kankuro probably won't protest, either." He offered.

"I know it's probably an awful thing to say, but… I kinda hoped I could. It was either you or Kiba, but he lives on campus and they'd end up kicking me out if I stayed longer than a week. I'll pay rent, as long as my boss doesn't fire me for having to take my first week off to move shit. She's taking both the apartment and the car, too." He said, his mood spiraling deeper and deeper the more he thought about it.

"What's your boss like?" the jade eyed man asked, trying once again to stray his friend's mind from the depressing thoughts. That seemed to do the trick as Sai came over and poured him his third drink.

"Itachi? He's pretty cool, actually. Kinda eccentric, and I get the feeling that there's more to him than he lets on. But he cares a lot about his friends and his brother. Don't even get me started on Sasuke, either. Guy's a bastard with a bad temper, but charming in a weird way. Obviously gay." He said with a snort.

Gaara wasn't sure whether he felt relief or worry when Naruto smiled fr the first time that night at the thought of the two men. The blonde had caught Gaara making out with a boy in their gym class their seventh grade year, and ever since he'd been constantly going in circles about his sexuality.

He'd even gone as far as asking if the politician would be willing to help him experiment. While they made out once or twice, the two decided very quickly they were much better off as friends. Naruto continued to wonder and talk about the possibilities, and only when him and Sakura got together did he stop bothering to figure himself out.

The way Naruto made the brothers sound made Gaara believe that Naruto still swung both ways whether he believed it or not, but that wasn't bothered Naruto's childhood friend. It was the fact that he was attracted to not one, but two men at the same time that had him worried. It only made it that much worse that they were brothers.

"Sounds like an interesting combination." He mused without implication. He wasn't sure if even Naruto was aware of the attraction yet, but he'd known his friend long enough to read him like a book.

"They really are. They run a little café called _Amaterasu_. That's actually where I work now." Naruto said, drinking his third drink much slower than he did the others.

"I like it a lot better than I thought I would. Sasuke can drive me up the goddamn wall, but he's really good at being a manager. The last of my sanity was kept intact thanks to him guiding me and being super patient. And you can tell that he's not normally a patient guy." He explained, chewing on a piece of ice with a grin the red head was sure he was unaware he had.

"Itachi is seriously a cool boss, too. He kept making sure that I had enjoyed my first day and was really interested in me telling him about it. Maybe it's cause he wanted to scold one of the coworkers for giving me hell all morning. I dunno, it was just really nice that he cared, you know? And they both offered me a ride to and from." Naruto mused, resting his head in his palm as his speech started to slur.

"Well it seems like one of them would be willing to vouch for your time off, then. It's good that they're treating you properly." Gaara finished off his drink and pushed his glass away, turning up to the stoic and quiet bartender.

"Add all the drinks tonight on my tab." He asked and Sai nodded, handing Naruto what he'd hoped was his final drink for the night.

"Not a problem, Sabaku. My condolences Uzumaki for your loss, though it does seem like more of a gain. She was always unsightly."

"Fuck off Sai, you can walk home for that!" Naruto yelled, his voice bouncing off the quiet walks of the empty bar. Leave it to Sai to make a bad situation worse.

"Calm down, Naruto. Sai is just being himself." Gaara noted, folding his arms and furrowed his brow. They were both used to Sai and his awkward things to say, but Naruto was drunk and upset. The pale bartender nodded with a smile, leaving the two alone for the remaining time the bar was open.

"How could she do this to me!?" The blonde sobbed, his fists coming down hard on the tempered glass. He felt his hands throb, and he'd ended up cutting himself as the regular glass shattered in his palm. Gaara sighed and got up off the barstool, walking around and headed to the back where he found the first aid kit and dustpan to clean up with.

"I'm sure she had reasons, even if they weren't very good." The red head mumbled, taking the mini brush and swept up the glass before Naruto could hurt himself more. Setting the dustpan aside for Sai to empty, Gaara took Naruto's hand and picked out the little shards from his hand before wrapping it snugly with gauze.

"Time to leave." The red head stated, helping his friends to his feet and cast a look to Sai. "We'll wait out in the parking lot for you to close up."

Sai nodded and started switching off the lights. Naruto was wobbling, his face a tear and snot mess as he was guided out and into the backseat of Gaara's car. Thankfully, he didn't think the blonde was too intoxicated to hold his liquor. He didn't need a watery vomit mess on his faux leather seats.

"Why you givin' 'im a ride anyway? He's such a fuckin' prick." Naruto asked as he sloppily put on his seatbelt, moved the shoulder strap and ungracefully fell so his body lined the entire back row of seats.

"He was considerate enough to discount your drinks since I'm the one paying for them." He explained, which only earned him half coherent grumbles in return. Soon after the lights went off in front of the bar, Sai hopped into the passenger's seat and sighed.

"It's nice not to have to walk all the way back to the dorms. I'm incredibly grateful, Sabaku." Sai noted with his signature smile. Gaara barely acknowledged him as he drove the man the two miles uphill. The university was incredibly beautiful and secluded with all the trees on campus, but it was equally difficult to get to since it was perched up on a hill.

"Don't go around telling people about Naruto's personal life, Sai. I mean it." Gaara said, trying to sound threatening. The chances of him actually doing anything about it was slim, and it was an even slimmer chance that the socially inappropriate man would listen to him.

"Pleasant morning to you both." Was the only response the irritated red head got as he pulled up in front of the old fraternity house. Sai was quick to leave, and Gaara was left with only the company of loud snores in the back of his car. With any luck, that meant Naruto would be sobered up enough to walk in the house with little help.

"Ne, Gaara? Can we sit in the living room and watch television like when we were kids?" The blonde's soft voice came after a few minutes of driving, causing Gaara to glance at his rearview mirror into the backseat.

"Sure." He uttered. A few minutes later they pulled into the concrete driveway of the sandy home, and the two hobbled unceremoniously into the house where the blonde belly flopped on the worn, navy blue sectional.

"Ya'll need a new couch." The blonde said, his voice muffled by the fabric as he snuggled into the spot that had always been his, even as kids. Rasa Sabaku had been in the same car the night that Naruto's parents got into their car accident, and thus they were all orphaned at the same time.

Temari was eighteen then, and even though she was old enough to legally take care of her brothers Jiraiya had still taken it upon himself to make it over once a week. That left a ten-year-old Naruto and Gaara to sit and watch cartoons every Friday night, until they fell asleep on that very couch.

"One day maybe." Gaara said, taking his spot on the couch in an upright position before flipping the TV on. Absently he toed off his shoes and tucked his legs up on the couch, flipping through channels until he found a decent movie.

"Pirates three? Nice." Naruto said, finally making an effort to reposition himself so he wasn't face-planting the couch. As interested as he seemed to be, there was no denying the look of total exhaustion on his friend's face.

Thirty minutes later, he was out like a light.

Gaara turned off the television and sighed. It had been an eventful evening, and he knew that Naruto needed his rest. All of it was the least he could do for his friend, after all the things his friend did in middle school and high school to help him. He wasn't very proud of those rough years.

He wiped his sweaty palms on the black slacks he'd still been wearing from work, standing up to make the trek to the bedroom. As kids, they were both able to sleep comfortably on the couch, but Naruto had a major growth spurt. He wasn't going to even try to find a comfortable position next to the six-foot male.

He wasn't ready for the sun to rise. It meant dealing with a fuming older sister and the likelihood of trying to get into Naruto's- or should he say Sakura's- apartment to move out the rest of the blonde's belongings. It also meant that he'd have to convince Naruto's boss to give him some time off, even after just one day of actually working. How he would pull that off was beyond him, but he didn't choose a political career for nothing.

Most of all, he didn't want to watch the lights fade from his friend's life for the second time in his lifetime.

He managed to wake up before Temari was suppoed to be home at eight, putting on a huge pot of coffee and got some painkillers ready for when Naruto ultimately got up sometime around noon. The red head had pocketed his friend's phone earlier that morning, easily guessing his password and started going through his contacts when his Sister walked in.

"Is Naruto alright?" the teal eyed woman asked, her overnight bag hitting the ground by the door with a soft 'thud'. Gaara put a finger up to his lips, pointing to the sleeping male on the couch before ushering his sister in the spare room.

"Sakura decided she wants a divorce." He explained bitterly, anger potent in his gaze for the first time as he handed the paperwork over to his sister. She thumbed through them in disbelief, gripping the pages tightly as she stared at the pinkette's signature.

"I can't believe- the fucking nerve of that bitch!" She said, scowling as she threw the papers back up on the dresser.

"Leave it alone, Temari. Getting upset at her is just going to make Naruto feel worse. What he needs is to know that he can stay here." The blonde woman sighed, trying to calm her nerves.

"Of course he can. He'll always have a place here, you know that. You two were practically raised together." She said, her tone still unable to hide some of the malice in it. Gaara nodded.

"It would be best if you told him that when he wakes up. I still haven't had the chance to call Kankuro, but I'll get around to it." He explained, leaving little time for Temari to answer before he left the room to go about his business.

Trekking back into his own room, he shut the door and sighed, pulling Naruto's phone back out of his pocket. He wasn't able to find Sasuke's number, figuring that Naruto had it scrawled down somewhere and hadn't managed to put it in yet. Itachi's was there though, and after a quick moment of inner debate he pressed the phone icon and put the phone up to his ear.

 _A/N Yeeees this one was shorter. If I had the option not to write it at all I wouldn't have. Luckily I have a lot of inspiring people helping me to get it done, and even managed to get it done earlier than expected. Now to move on to the chapter I've most been looking forward to -squee!-_

 _Once again, thank you so much for the comments and the reviews. They mean so much to me and make it so much easier to push through the harder chapters like this one was. This is probably more of a shoutout chapter to the people that really, REALLY don't like Sakura (Which if your reading this, probably means she's somewhere on your list of people that you don't care for. Even a little bit.)_

 _Please look forward to the next one. I'm super excited to start working on it!_


	6. Unexpected Help

"What do you mean 'Naruto's getting a divorce'!?" called the brash voice of a young Uchiha. To say that Sasuke was pissed would've been an understatement. The man held his cell phone to his ear with his shoulder as he bent over to tie his shoelace, scowling at the information he'd just been given.

"This better not be some sort of shit joke, Itachi, 'cause it's not funny." He yelled into the receiver as he stood and began walking back to his car. It was just barely passed noon on Tuesday, and even though it was Sasuke's day off at the café he still had morning classes that he'd gone to.

" _I don't think his friend would use his phone to call me and ask for the rest of the week off in his favor if it was a joke, Sasuke. He seemed pretty serious about the situation._ " Came the voice from the other end of the phone. Sasuke groaned and he dropped his book bag hard on the hood of his corvette.

"So… Are you calling to ask me to come in today? You know I've got homework I can't ignore." He said as he finally took the phone in his hand, using his other free hand to pull out the vape pen in his pocket. One of these days he'd quit, but it was apparent that quitting wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

" _Actually, no. I asked Kisame to help with the morning shift, and Shisui agreed to work my shift in the evening for a little extra. I was hoping you'd be willing to run over and grab the rest of Naruto's belongings from his apartment to bring to him._ "

Sasuke took a long drag from the vape pen in his hand, his knuckles turning white in physical rage. "Why don't you just go over there and grab his shit then?"

" _Because more than likely he can't afford to get himself a decent lawyer in his current situation. I've been making phone calls and filling out paperwork to find him some options to offer._ " Itachi claimed over the phone. Sasuke let out an irritated sigh, trying to calm himself down.

"Itachi I know what you're trying to do. Samaritan act aside, you know there's a good chance that he's just not going to be interested." He rationalized has he took another drag of the nicotine-filled electronic.

"For all we know he's as straight as they come. Yeah I think he's cute, but I also don't want to scare away any possibility of friendship by cramming that knowledge down his throat during a divorce. We hardly know him, and I'm alright with things the way they are now."

" _Things could be better._ " Itachi reasoned, making Sasuke pause. He wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that his brother was vouching for a possible relationship with the blonde haired, blue eyed beauty.

"Whatever. I'll deal with his wife and grab his stuff. You take the blame if Naruto gets mad about it." He grumbled, taking one more puff before pocketing the pen and grabbed his schoolbag.

" _He won't be upset Sasuke. He probably doesn't want to see her; his friend gave me the impression she initiated the divorce. We'll also be able to ensure that he gets everything he may want or need._ " Sasuke rolled his eyes and threw his bag into the backseat.

"Thought we agreed not to use any more of father's assets after opening _Amaterasu_?"

" _Father may know a lot of good lawyers, but he doesn't know all of them. I will be paying out of pocket, of course._ "

"Whatever." Sasuke hung up before Itachi could get another word in, pulling up Naruto's address. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Itachi was incredibly smart, and a part of him hoped that everything would work out the way they planned it.

He definitely wasn't looking forward to dealing with Naruto's wife, though.

The raven haired student dropped by his house first to switch out cars, leaving his schoolbag by the door. The white walls and plain décor practically screamed his unwanted social status at him. The abundance of generic paintings and crisp family photos only made it seem louder, Fugaku's stern frown looking at him from a painting the same as it always had his entire life.

The house had been a 'gift', or rather another means of keeping his children within his firm grasp. Sasuke couldn't wait until the café made enough to get out from under his father's foot.

He grabbed the truck keys off the kitchen counter since he didn't know how much he was picking up from the apartment. He knew that Naruto had his own studio room, but he also didn't know how much of a hassle he was going to have getting stuff from his wife. Hell, he didn't even know what she looked like.

The raven haired male left for the garage and slowly pulled out the sparely used truck. The outside was speckled in fine dust, and had he been ten years younger he probably would've written 'wash me' onto the driver's side door. Once he was confident enough he wasn't about to hit anything with the massive vehicle, he took off towards Naruto's previous residence.

He stopped in front of the semi-familiar white door of the apartment, hesitating. Would his wife even be home? Naruto said she'd been working around the clock. He supposed that all he could do was try, and if he came back empty handed his older brother would just have to deal with it.

Without giving himself much time to think about it, he gave a modest knock on the white door and waited a few moments. Surprisingly, he heard the deadbolt slide and the door swung open, revealing a petite, tired pink haired nurse. He had to stop his eye from visibly twitching.

Who the hell runs around with cotton candy pink hair?

"Uhm, hi. Can I help you?" The woman asked, looking up at Sasuke with innocent eyes while her fingers twirled through her hair. The raven haired male knew that he was attractive, and all throughout school the girls never let him forget it. He figured it was a good portion of why he was gay to begin with, but even though it was relatively public knowledge there were still university girls pining after him. He noted that the ugly woman had wasted no time in taking off her wedding ring.

"I'm here to pick up Naruto's things." He noted, tone flat. Sakura looked almost surprised at that, her hand falling from her hair.

"Oh, yeah you can take it. Have we met? I think I would've remembered if we went to school together. Or maybe you were seen recently in Emergency?" She asked, obviously trying to bait him in to a conversation as she opened the door for him.

"I may have to go to Emergency if I'm here very long." He noted, taking hold of both dry and wet canvases that he remembered seeing in Naruto's studio. He also managed to pick up a couple more bags and headed back out to the truck, loading all of it in carefully.

She apparently didn't understand what he meant. "Well I mean, usually I can't have visitors at work, but I could make an exception for you if you wanted.

Sasuke glared at her. "Seriously? What the hell did Naruto see in you?" He murmured, going back to make another trip, sighing as he texted Itachi on the way back up the stairs. He could manage getting most of his things, but he wasn't leaving without the blonde's drawing table, and that would take two people to lift.

"He didn't tell you? I'm training to become a doctor. Brain surgeon, actually." She said, proudly resting her hands on her hips.

"Naruto always has been and always will be a dropout. Yeah things didn't work out, but he has no direction anyway. He needs to figure his shit out, and I just can't help him with that." Sasuke was hobbling back down the stairs, his arms and hands full of as much of the blonde's stuff as he could carry. He didn't want to be in the woman's presence any longer than necessary.

"Seems counterproductive." He told her flatly. What was the point of being in a career to help others when she couldn't even be bothered to help her own family? His stomach knotted when he realized it was probably about the money.

Money was nothing compared to family.

"He kinda is, really. Hey, thanks for giving him a job by the way, he's been so lazy and miserable for so long. I kinda feel for Gaara too since that's probably where he ran to. You know Gaara? He's pretty weird and creepy-"

"Will you just shut up?" Sasuke seethed, trying not to completely blow his stack on her as he carried out the last load of small items. Unfortunately, that meant having to wait for Itachi to drive the rest of the way across town.

"What? Oh, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Sasuke shut the truck door and turned to meet her gaze. His eyes flashed almost red in the poor lighting of the cloudy day.

"Could you at least try to have some shame in the fact you're getting divorced instead of throwing yourself on the first attractive male you see? God, you're so annoying." He told her, checking his phone. What he said must've finally got to her, because she was quiet after that.

He headed back up to the apartment and wandered back into Naruto's studio. Sakura looked at him with a somewhat guilty look.

"There's nothing else that's his. I bought all the furniture out of my own pocket." She said, her voice small.

"You have no use for it, so why bother keeping it." It wasn't a question. Sasuke noted that they were expensive pieces, and she was probably hoping to make a lot of money off of them.

"That's not the point!" She said, starting to protest. There was another knock at the front door, though Itachi didn't bother waiting for a response as he walked in through the open door.

"Sorry I'm late. This must be the lovely lady herself." Itachi noted as he walked into the studio. He had on a placid smile, but Sasuke knew there was no compassion behind it.

Even with her feathers ruffled, she couldn't help but blush at Itachi's greeting. If people were charmed by Sasuke, they were absolutely swooned by his older brother. The younger Uchiha just took it as an opportunity to start packing up the large easels, sneaking past to take them out to the truck.

Itachi always had a way with people that he would never understand. He'd been jealous of that fact as a kid, believing it to be just another reason he lived in his brother's shadow. As he grew older he realized that there was a lot of patience and masks Itachi put up to make it happen, including in front of their own parents more often than not.

Sasuke was always more of an open book, his anger laid out on the table for all to see. It was like a scar that he'd end up carrying forever, yet in some ways it made him the more relatable of the two.

He laid the easels down gently in the bed of the truck, and silently prayed that the rain wouldn't pick up again until after they dropped off the precious items. Heaven knew that he didn't want to show Naruto his appreciation by letting his tools get rotted through. With that don, the only thing left was the stool and desk, before they got the hell out of the vulture's nest.

"Well, you certainly have painted a wonderful picture of your situation for me, Sakura." He heard Itachi say and rolled his eyes, not missing the not-so-subtle pun about Naruto's artistic abilities. He knew it probably went over the woman's head.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad." She said as Sasuke walked back in. He noted that Sakura's fingers were back in her disgusting bubble pink hair.

"Are you done?" Sasuke asked, coming up to the desk and started pulling it away from the wall. It took him a minute, but he managed to figure out how to put the surface down flat, and Itachi moved to the other side.

"Wait, seriously. You guys can't take that, that's a nine-hundred-dollar workbench." Sakura protested. Once again, the elder Uchiha only gave her a polite smile.

"I'm sure your lawyer will be more than willing to iron out the details of who gets what with our lawyer, as well as the matter of who gets alimony. Which, of course, Naruto's only been able to work for a day. And with you keeping the apartment and all of the necessities, there is a good chance that with a proper lawyer, the odds are in his favor. Perhaps you should have put more effort into keeping Naruto workless, or did you just feel too guilty to do that when you believed you'd take it all?" Itachi mentioned, rendering Sakura speechless.

Sasuke smirked, even as he awkwardly stepped backwards out of the apartment while juggling the stool and left side of the desk. He may not have agreed with Itachi's methods, but seeing the look on the vulture's face was enough to make it all worth it.

"Good day to you, miss… Well, it isn't Uzumaki now, is it? You'll be hearing from our lawyers soon." Itachi said, freeing one of his hands to swing the door shut on the stunned woman. They were careful going down the stairs with the desk, Sasuke making sure he knew his footing with every step since he was going down backwards. It was smooth sailing from there, and the pair laid the desk on its side in the bed of the truck.

"You need to send me the address of where he's staying." Sasuke said, wiping off beads of sweat from his brow. It may have been cloudy, but it only succeeded in making the air hot and humid.

"Already did. Though you could just follow me there, foolish little brother." The elder chuckled, bringing up two well-manicured fingers to tap his brother on the forehead. The younger raised an eyebrow, his face bored until he was sure Itachi wasn't paying attention. He scrunched up his face and rubbed his forehead, his face heating up slowly.

"Damn Itachi."

Three miles and ten minutes later, they were parked in front of a sandy, quiet-looking house with a nice green yard. It was older, but Sasuke could appreciate that it had character. He saw Itachi get out and immediately followed suit, following the man to the door.

The elder was the one to knock on the door, his deep laugh lines slightly crinkled. Sasuke recognized it as one of Itachi's more genuine smiles that he only gave on rare occasions, and when the redheaded resident opened the door, his smile only brightened.

"You must be Itachi and Sasuke." Came the calm, rough voice of the red head. Sasuke wondered if he knew that from the conversation he had on the phone with the older Uchiha earlier, or if he had seen one of Naruto's personal sketches. He felt a twinge of jealousy at the idea, but did his best to brush it off. He'd been given the impression that the two had been friends for years, so it would make sense.

"Yeah, hi." Sasuke greeted, peering around Gaara and into the house. It was hard to see in, but he was pretty sure he saw a mess of blonde hair sticking out of a tightly wrapped green blanket on the couch.

"We hope you don't mind. We brought over Naruto's belongings, and have a few contact options for lawyers." Itachi said. Sasuke watched Naruto's gaze shift towards him, a mix of shock and sadness on his face.

"Not at all. We were just discussing when we would head over, but it seems you took care of it." Gaara said, letting them into the house. Naruto let out a loud groan and tucked his head inside the comforter.

"Go away. I dun want you guys seein' me like this." Naruto practically whined. The younger Uchiha guessed he must've had a hangover, if the bottle of painkillers and water on the coffee table were anything to go by.

"We're your friends too, dobe. A hangover isn't going to stop us from being here for you." He said in protest, setting down the still wet canvases against the walls neatly.

"His room is the second door to the left. Let us help bring things in." Gaara noted. A man with lilac eyes stepped out of the kitchen with Temari following close behind, both eying the Uchiha's apprehensively.

"That would be most appreciated. His desk is quite heavy." Itachi noted. Naruto groaned and poked his head back out of his little nest, preparing himself to stand up and help too.

Sasuke was quick to push him back down on the sectional by the forehead. "Not you, Naruto. Let us take care of this."

Naruto winced as the man pushed on his forehead, curling up as it slowly began to throb painfully. "Bastard." He called helplessly.

Between the five of them, it only took two trips to bring in all of Naruto's belongings, including his easels and desk which the blonde seemed honestly shocked to see.

"We'll have to rearrange Naruto's bedroom to fit the desk, but the easels can stay in the living room." Temari said as she and Neji carried in the large work station. Sasuke couldn't help but notice the sheer night and day difference between The vulture from earlier and the responsible woman directing them. It was a breath of fresh air.

"You guys didn't have to do all this for me… but thank you." The blonde said, wrapping the covers tighter to his body. Sasuke could practically hear the guilt dripping off of him, which only made him hate the vulture more.

"We have a feeling you'd do the same for us in this sort of situation." Itachi chimed in, taking a seat next to Naruto with a smile.

"As for work, you can come in tomorrow or a week from tomorrow. Take as much time as you need." He added, handing over a paper-filled clipboard to their blonde friend. Sasuke rolled his eyes and stepped out of the room; he didn't need to hear Itachi's business talk and convincing Naruto about why he should fight for the car.

He also hadn't missed the way his red headed friend had been eyeing him and his brother for the past ten minutes.

"Well you have my attention." Sasuke said as soon as him and Gaara were out of earshot. They had gone into the kitchen, and even though Sasuke was offered a glass of water, he knew there was something far from courteous about to take place.

"I want to make sure you will take care of Naruto." Gaara says simply, sipping at the orange crush in his cup. Sasuke blinked.

"At work? It's my job to take care of him, I'm his manager." He replied, Gaara's face unreadable as he said it.

"You've been putting in effort to catch his attention, and you succeeded, Sasuke. But it isn't just you, it's your brother too. I don't believe he's aware of it himself yet, but when he does figure it out please let him choose for himself." Gaara noted. Sasuke smirked dryly.

"So that's how it is. You don't need to play the 'I'm the best friend so don't make me kick your ass' card. He's been through enough hell with that vulture." Sasuke said, downing the rest of the soda in his cup.

"And your brother?" Gaara added sternly.

"Itachi is a lot of things, but he's not one to play games. Whatever happens, Naruto will come out the other end relatively intact." He promises, listening in on the wrapping up conversation coming from the living room as he moved to leave the kitchen.

He was stopped when Gaara put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you both for being there for Naruto." He added, and with a nod from Sasuke he was free to go.

"Guess I'll call this Hidan guy tomorrow then." Naruto said. He looked less than pleased at the idea of hiring a lawyer, but Itachi was very good at persuasion. Sasuke lingered by the front door, giving Itachi an expecting look.

"Let me know how it turns out, Naruto." Itachi stands and runs his fingers through the blonde's hair gently. Sasuke's eyes softened at that as he remembered all the time his older brother would do that for him when he was down.

"Will do… and uh, thanks again. I'll try my best to be in tomorrow morning." He murmured, giving them both a forced smile. It tugged at Sasuke's heart enough to reel him in.

"Dobe." He murmured, his hands coming down to rest on Naruto shoulder's as he crouched down to eye level.

"Don't come in until you're sure you can make it through the day, got it? I don't need to babysit you." He said with a smirk. The smile he had turned into a pout, but it was a genuine pout that melted both of the Uchiha's hearts.

"Bastard! Itachi do something!" Naruto whined again. The older male just chuckled and shook his head, his fingers running through blonde hair once more before both of them got up.

"Behave, Sasuke. If anyone's babysitting, it will be me babysitting you as I have your entire life." Itachi said, earning a glare from Sasuke as they headed out the door, both having piece of mind.

It wasn't until late that Itachi found the time to rest. It was almost eleven at night, his usually tied and neat hair was loose and framed in front of his face. A black sheet and royal blue comforter were draped over his lower half, leaving his chest naked and exposed as he lounged in the comfort of his bed.

There were only three things that the elder Uchiha had the pleasure of being selfish about. First and foremost were the evenings when he finally had the time to relax and read a good book. He had taken pleasure out of reading since he was a child, since it was the only thing his parents had no control over. It was an escape from the reality he was forced to conform to.

The second was when he bought _Amaterasu_. He used money that he made with his own two hands, working all sorts of jobs around the classes his father forced him to take and the work he had Itachi do.

The man was a genius, and everyone knew it. They knew it before he graduated high school at the age of fourteen. As much as he loved his parents, they had never been very good at parenting. In some ways they ended up putting business in front of his and Sasuke's well-being, and in some ways that attested to him having to grow up incredibly fast.

It wasn't until Fugaku started shaping their futures for his own gain, that Itachi knew that he had to do something about it. He had no problems with doing what his father told him to, playing the part of the perfect son came as naturally to him as breathing did.

He knew that Sasuke couldn't handle that.

He heard the sound of a door adjacent to his room opening and shutting, absently smirking down at the book in his hands. Itachi knew that meant Sasuke had finished with six hours of homework he had from taking classes he didn't want to take.

His tuition however was completely paid for by their father, and the raven haired Uchiha always made sure to add in a class or two he wanted to do. School was expensive, and every little bit he didn't have to pay for to get his degree in history, he would take.

"Enjoying yourself?" a cocky younger voice called from the door threshold, clad in only a pair of sweats hanging low on his hips. He'd come out of his room, though Sasuke never slept there unless they had guests. It was more like a study with a full size bed for show.

"I am, though not as much as I could be." Itachi put the book down on the nightstand and looked up to his younger brother with a dark expression. Sasuke smirked, crawling up on top of the California king sized mattress like a panther attacking its prey.

Neither of them knew when it really began. Sasuke's trips to Itachi's bed were as innocent as they could've been when they were kids; a five-year-old who wanted his big brother to keep him safe from the thunderstorms.

There was a period where Sasuke stopped coming to him to keep him safe from the storms. It was the same period where Sasuke didn't tell him anything, when their parents started shaping Itachi into the perfect son. It wasn't until Sasuke was fifteen that he realized his older brother had only been trying to protect him all along.

He soon started sneaking into his brother's room once more during thunderstorms. At first Itachi protested, believing Sasuke to be too old for that kind of comfort. As time went by, he found himself protesting less and less.

Eventually thunderstorm nights became every night. Comforting Sasuke became a means to comfort himself.

Before both of them knew what was going on, they were kissing and grinding against each other in bed. Again when they came back to their senses, Itachi had been the one to protest.

" _Let yourself be selfish for once in your life."_ He remembered Sasuke telling him. That was what started everything. He decided then that he was going to find a way to get them both out from underneath their father's foot. He began saving to be able to start his own business, and when Sasuke turned eighteen he convinced his father to give them their own place to live.

Fugaku didn't know that it was temporary. It was only a matter of time before Itachi stopped going to work for him, Sasuke dropped his father's classes, and they moved somewhere they could be stable on their own.

He wanted Sasuke in every sense. And he would accept whatever punishment the higher powers would give him for it.

Itachi leaned up and threaded his fingers through gelled, spiky hair, bringing his little brother in for a kiss that was inevitable. It wasn't all lust and passion, there was a love and gentleness that had always been there. He had a piece of Sasuke that only his kisses could portray, and he greedily drank it up.

Sasuke pulled away after a bit. Pulling Itachi's lower lip with him as he looked on with half lidded eyes. "His friend told me he has a thing for us today. Told him to let him choose on his own."

"That makes it easier then, doesn't it? Who said he had to choose at all." Itachi murmured, his eyes still shut from the kiss as his hands came down to rest on Sasuke's hips.

When Sasuke first mentioned Naruto, he had a mix of emotions. Naturally he was jealous, but he also knew that Sasuke needed a chance to have a normal relationship. Being with him was risky in every sense, and one slip up in front of the wrong person could cost them both. Above everything, he wanted to keep Sasuke safe.

That all changed when he first met the blonde. He instantly knew what had drawn his little brother to the man, and he also got bonus points for being someone Sasuke could be safely open around. No one else could affect the man the way Itachi always could.

He knew then, there was a fourth thing he wanted to be selfish about. Itachi just didn't think it was truly a possibility until that day.

The younger male smirked, rolling his hips forward which made Itachi sigh out involuntarily. He got the reaction he wanted as his older brother made quick work of the rest of his clothing.

"You really want this, don't you 'Tachi?" Sasuke purred, his legs wrapping around the burnt olive back as he rolled his hips again. The older male rested his forehead on Sasuke's and nodded.

"It certainly would make things a little easier. And besides, his rear is as nice as the picture he drew of yours." He teased, earning a light whack upside the head. The older only responded by nipping lightly on the teardrop tattoo Sasuke sported on his shoulder.

"You should see the way he draws you. Though you're not supposed to know about that." Sasuke said, moaning out at the mouth dangerously close to his collarbone and neck.

"Trying to make me jealous? It won't work, you know." Itachi hummed, swirling his tongue around the spot he was just nipping at, the grip he had on Sasuke's hips firming up as his ashen eyes met Sasuke's onyx ones.

"Because Uchiha's always get everything they want."

 _A/N: Two chapters!? In one week!? Yes, I managed. And somehow I managed to get them both done early._

 _I will try to push out another chapter next week, however after that I probably will not be updating this regularly again until November. I will be working on a SasuNaru called 'Bloody Paws and Hybrids' to hopefully get it to at least a good part by Halloween since that's what I'm writing it for. But on top of that I also have a shit ton of birthdays to do next month, including my husbands, my best friends, and the birth of a baby niece that will be occupying a lot of my time. So please, bear with me! And thank you so very much for reading!_

 _Until next time!_


	7. Venus Trap

Three months. It took no less than three months for the agonizing divorce process to be over and done with, and for Naruto's life to go back to normal. Or at least, somewhat normal.

The entire experience had been bittersweet for the blonde café worker. It had become apparent just how miserable Sakura had been throughout their marriage, at least if the men she started seeing during the process were anything to go by. As much as the man didn't want to sign the divorce papers and go to court, he didn't want his wife of four years to be unhappy. He never did.

"Sir?" He heard a sweet voice call. Naruto's eyes flickered over to the woman waiting at the counter for him to take her order, and he visibly flinched.

"Uh yeah, right. Sorry about that, you said two Frappuccino's?" he clarified, pressing the appropriate buttons on the computer for their new to-go ordering station. The café had been open for five months now, and in the morning's they were over capacity. It only made sense to add a way for them to come in, get what they wanted, then leave.

"Yes, that's right." The red head said, a bit too sweetly for the blonde's liking. He scratched his ring finger with his left thumb out of habit, still not used to the piece of jewelry missing from it's spot.

He didn't like how common knowledge his divorce had become. Deidara had blabbed his mouth to almost every good looking customer, both male and female, and now there was a certain band of regulars that came for the sole purpose of grabbing his attention.

In any other circumstance, he'd probably find it more than a little flattering. Right now though, he just wanted some peace.

"Two pumpkin spice frappes with extra whipped cream." Sasori's quiet voice came from behind him as he moved around Naruto to give the ginger her order. The blonde usually hated Sasori's way of 'showing efficiency', but he was more than welcome to let him take the spotlight. His head just wasn't in it that chilly November morning.

He sighed and walked to the back of the store, untying his apron. For three months, His job had been his rock. He found himself working overtime a lot, so much so that he told Itachi to stop paying him for it altogether. It was an escape from the reality of what was going on outside of the coffee infused walls.

He didn't know what he'd do without his coworkers. Sasori's blunt nature, Deidara's jabs about one hot person or another.

A smile tugged on his lips for the first time that day. It was far from a perfect job, but it was perfect for him. Kisame's useless advice, Pein and Konan's odd but affectionate natures. They were things he couldn't see himself living without anymore.

His smile turned into a frown of confusion, eyebrows furrowing as he rested his head on the concrete wall in the back of the room. Across from him was a large wooden door with frosted glass, a name glowering at him almost like a beacon. Uchiha.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, kicking off of the wall as he headed out the backdoor to the parking lot for some air. No, he could live without the café and the employees if he really had to. They were nice, and the work was fun, but he wouldn't be heartbroken if for some reason He could never go back.

He couldn't say the same about Sasuke and Itachi.

They became a constant in his life, even outside of work. Maybe it was unethical to have more than business relationships with his boss and manager, but he couldn't see them as any less than friends anymore. They had been there for him through some of his lowest points in those three months, whether he wanted them here or not.

Sasuke, the arrogant bastard who always knew how to push all his buttons, both good and bad. Itachi, the opposite in so many ways, who always knew where to be and what to say at the right time.

No, he couldn't live without them. Not anymore.

"Dude, how could you blow off a hot ginger, yeah!? She totally had the googly eyes for you!" Deidara yelled into the parking lot, making Naruto jump and whirl around in shock.

'Quit sneakin' up on me, Dei! And for the last time, I don't wanna date anyone right now!" He huffed, shivering a little as his mind caught up to the cold surrounding his body. The long haired blonde 'tsk'ed and threw a long, black sweater over his shivering coworkers shoulders.

"Listen Naru, You're like a brother to me, yeah? Same hair, same eyes- that's what the lookers go for! You should feel privileged and take advantage of the fact that all the ladies want you, yeah?" Deidara said in an attempt to rally his coworker. Even if it was supposed to be endearing, Naruto felt more like he was being stabbed by the comment.

"Sure, privileged enough that my wife decided to leave me." He muttered, finding an old cigarette butt on the ground to roll with his foot. No doubt it belonged to Sasuke at some point.

"Gee, you really are thick headed, yeah? From what I heard she's a total bitch anyway. You don't need that."

"Don't call her that, she's not a bitch!" Naruto said defensively. Even if he was legally single, he couldn't say he was entirely over her, and she'd always have a soft spot in his heart. The sassy coworker rolled his visible eye and put an arm around Naruto.

"Look, all I'm saying is that your single now! The world is your oyster once more, and you should take advantage of it, yeah? You've been working nonstop. You should have fun and live a little yeah."

Naruto snorted. "Why don't 'cha go bug Itachi? He works way more than I do, ya know."

"'Tachi's always been a super secretive person, yeah. He's probably got like five girlfriends we don't even know about." Deidara offered. For some reason, the idea that his boss could be a player irritated him. The short haired blonde shook his head.

"Nah, Itachi's not like that. He's way too good of a person to do somethin' like that." He said, defending the eldest Uchiha.

"…That we know of, yeah. You're right though, he could bat for the other team like Sasuke, if you get my drift yeah?" Deidara grinned eyebrows waggling as he looked down at the cigarette butt under Naruto's foot.

"Speaking of, when are you gonna take up Sasuke's offer, yeah?" Naruto's cheeks heated up at what his coworker was implying, and immediately it was like the cigarette was once again on fire. He moved his foot quickly and ducked himself out of Deidara's arm.

There was always THAT hanging on his mind. That being the fact that Sasuke had taken every decent opportunity to ask him on a date, and Naruto had always managed to find some way or another to direct the conversation somewhere else.

"H-he's not being serious. Besides, he's our manager, a-and I'm not…" Naruto trailed off. He couldn't exactly say that he didn't swing that way, nor could he say he wasn't all that interested, either.

It was more a fact of he didn't know what to think or feel.

"Denile isn't just a river in Egypt, yeah Naru!" Deidara criticized. Thankfully for the blonde, his coworker finally took his leave and left him to think.

Should he take Sasuke up on his offer? He scrunched up his nose at the idea. He didn't think it would be unpleasant, but something about it just felt off. He wouldn't feel right agreeing, when he didn't know if he really felt anything or not. It wouldn't be right by his friend.

There was also the little problem of…

"Deidara harassing you again?" A silky voice called. This time Naruto didn't jump, used to Itachi appearing when he was distressed. Where the sassy blonde coworker was loud and annoying to even his standards, Itachi always managed to instill a calming feeling, like a warm blanket being wrapped tightly around him.

"Ah, yeah. It's all good though, I got a lot on my mind anyway." He said, sitting on a concrete bumper and outstretched his legs. The Uchiha joined him seconds later, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Today's the day you're divorce ran through, isn't it?" He asked, already knowing the answer. Naruto nodded silently, looking down to his hands.

"It's weird. Like… a bad dream I haven't woken up from yet. But… I'm not gonna wake up, either." He explained, knowing that his boss would just listen. Naruto shivered a little from the cold, before turning to give Itachi his attention with a small smile.

"It's not all bad though. And sometimes I can forget that all this crap's been happenin'. It's just… sooner or later, I can't keep myself busy enough, and I remember all over again." He says, his smile sad. Itachi ruffled his blonde locks in an all-too familiar fashion.

"It'll get easier as time passes, Naruto. This just means that Sakura wasn't meant to be in your life anymore, and there are greater things waiting for you." Itachi said calmly. Naruto nodded, his cheeks tinged pink as he licked his lips.

"Itachi… When Sasuke- when he asks… does his thing, is he being serious?" He dared himself to ask, shifting uncomfortably in the silence that seemed to drag on after. After too long passed, Itachi leaned forward and swiped a piece of the blonde's silky locks to the side.

"Sasuke has always been sincere in his intentions. I don't know how deep the feelings he has for you run, but they are there." He says cautiously. Naruto had to stop himself from leaning into the touch.

"…I don't wanna hurt 'im. But I dunno anything, really. And with all this that just happened…"

"I don't believe Sasuke would expect you to really commit to more after you just went through a divorce. He just wants what all of us want; to see you happy and have fun." The elder Uchiha reasons, moving to stand back up and offered Naruto a hand.

Naruto took it and nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah, you're right."

"I know." He said with a hint of cheekiness, though his warm smile told otherwise.

"You're breaks been over for ten minutes already, Naruto. You don't have any more time to worry about such things, alright?" He said. Naruto blinked and pulled out his phone from his pocket, panicking a bit.

"Shit, I'm so sorry! I didn't even bother to check my phone!" Naruto cried, haphazardly tying the apron back around his waist as he bolted beck behind the counter. Itachi watched him take off with a small chuckle, a glint of something indescribable in his eye as he followed back inside.

"I'm telling you no, Kiba! I don't wanna go to the bar to 'pick up chicks'!" Naruto yelled into the phone hours later, exasperated. He didn't know how, but it had become public knowledge that as of midnight he was a single man, and he didn't appreciate it one bit.

" _Come on man, we haven't done anything together in fucking years! Sai said there's been a lot of freshie chicks popping in during the week, too!_ " Naruto rolled his eyes as he crawled into the front seat of the car that was now solely his own.

He was still scratching his head on how Hidan, who had been day drunk and swearing like a sailor, managed to win the case. He had gotten possession of the car, expensive art furniture, and a bonus three hundred a month in alimony that the silver haired man must've thrown in without his knowledge.

"Yeah, but can't we just go to have a good time? I really don't feel up to lookin' around." He asked, exasperated. He was getting extremely tired of people telling him that he needed to go on dates and look at potential partners to have fun.

He was just fine being a single man for a day, thank you very much!

" _We can chill and have a good time, while looking at chicks! Look man, even as just a wingman? Please bud? Shikamaru's taken now and Shino's too busy with his… ettamology or some shit_ -"

"Entomology." Naruto corrected, putting his friend on speaker and tossed his phone in the cup holder so he could drive home safely.

" _That. You're missing the point! I'm all alone here!_ " He said with a slight whine. Naruto hit his head against the back of his seat in annoyance. His friend could pass up for a puppy, with all the annoyance and none of the cuteness.

"Fine, I'll go with ya. But I'm gonna drink too so you better find your own damn way home!" He said, shuttering at the memories of a wasted Kiba throwing up in the backseat of his car habitually after every bar visit. Gaara would be picking him up, and he knew for a fact the redhead wouldn't take the man home.

" _Deal! See you at six!_ " The blonde heard before a familiar tone of the call ending. Naruto sighed as he pulled into the driveway of his current home.

He noted with both relief and a hint of horror that Gaara was home from work early. He wasn't looking forward to asking his friend for yet another drunk ride home. The blue eyed café worker was no alcoholic, but he had made it a point to go out alone once a week to calm his nerves during the past three months.

His liver practically screamed in rebellion.

"I'm home!" He called, dropping his bag full of work clothes by the front door as he toed off his shoes. To his surprise, Neji was over as well, with a similar-looking woman standing next to him.

"Hinata!" He exclaimed, a wide smile breaking out on his face. He hadn't seen the bluenette often, but he always enjoyed the rare times where Hinata did come to visit.

"N-naruto, good afternoon." She said in her shy voice, her cheeks tinged pink. Ignoring the glare that Neji directed at the blonde, Naruto gave his cousin a warm hug that was happily returned.

"What brings you here? You guys goin' somewhere tonight?" He asked, turning his attention to Gaara. The red head nodded in confirmation, handing over a paper ad for the bar their friend group usually frequented.

"It's ladies' night, and Hinata wanted to go." He explained, realization suddenly dawning in his head. So that's why Kiba had been so adamant about going out that night.

"Aren't those usually a girl's only type of thing?" He asked. Neji rolled his eyes at Naruto's childish comment, but before he could scold the blonde his boyfriend spoke up.

"Usually they are. But the paper specifies that every lady can bring two friends of any gender." He explains as Naruto set the ad back down on the countertop. Vaguely, he wondered which woman had fallen victim to Kiba's ploy to get them in the bar for ladies' night.

"Heh, guess we'll be going together then! Kiba just called me on my way home asking if I'd join him." He said. Unsurprisingly, he was met by two disgusted gazes, and one slightly clueless one.

"W-well we'd be happy to have you with us!" The Hyuga heiress stuttered happily. The small gesture pulled another smile out of Naruto as his miserable night had turned into something he might actually enjoy.

"Yes, a real treat. Excuse me." Neji said sarcastically, stepping around Naruto stiffly to walk outside. The blonde blinked, but shrugged off the man's behavior. It wasn't unlike Neji to come off as miffed even if he wasn't, and with everything going on he didn't need one more thing to overthink.

"S-sorry about that N-naruto. I don't k-know why he's upset all of a sudden." Hinata said, frowning as Gaara left to go after his boyfriend. The blonde just shrugged and grinned, beckoning for the woman to follow him to the couch to sit on.

"It's all good. I'm used to Neji's weird mood swings."

The next little bit was spent with the two of them chatting comfortably, the T.V. turned on mostly for background noise while Naruto asked her about work and school. As expected the shy woman was short with her answers, but she did her best to keep the conversation going.

It wasn't hard, since Naruto loved to talk.

"N-neji mentioned that you're working a-at a café now?" She asked him as she smoothed out the little black dress she was wearing. Naruto checked the clock and stood up with a stretch, not realizing that two hours had already flown by.

"Uh yeah, I do. The Amaterasu is a nice little place." He said. He blinked at the shock that washed over her face, but she whatever it was that was on her mind, she decided not to vocalize.

"H-how do you like it?" She added, staying on the couch. The blonde shrugged and left towards his room, leaving the door open so he could call out to her while he ransacked his closet for something decent to wear.

"It's pretty cool, actually. The customers are nice and coworkers are pretty chill." He explained, throwing off his orange long-sleeved to replace with a nicer royal blue, regular t-shirt. Images of Sasuke and Itachi flitted through his mind, and he visibly waved them away.

"My manager's kinda an ass though, but we get along ok. He was actually at school this mornin' so I didn't get to see 'em." He said before shutting the door to change into a pair of black jeans.

He was quick to come back out, plopping next to the bluenette on the couch with a thoughtful look on his face.

"My boss is pretty nice too. Itachi never really cares if I take longer breaks or stay overtime as long as I get the job done right. Or, you know, abandon Deidara and Sasori." He turned to her, his blue orbs meeting her lilac ones. He couldn't help but notice that she was attractive, though he didn't really think he was attracted to her.

"Hey, you never did tell me about where you work. I think Neji said it was an ice cream shop?" He asked. Hinata blushed, looking down to break eye contact and nodded.

"W-well, I-"

"Alright, let's get going. At this rate we'll be waiting in a long line just to get in." A hoarse voice called from the door.

Gaara was standing with his arms crossed, changed into a red shirt that he probably stole from Neji at some point while they were gone. Naruto hadn't even realized that he'd been left alone with Hinata the whole time until that moment.

"No thank you!" Naruto said, hopping back up to his feet. He offered out his hand to Hinata, thinking about the same gesture Itachi gave to him only hours before. It made goosebumps tingle down the back of his spine as he suppressed a shudder.

"Neji's still in the car." The red head said, turning so that Hinata didn't get a good look at his face. The blonde was no genius, but he snickered as he realized his hair was even more disheveled than the usual. If they looked hard enough, they could probably see bruises on his pale neck, as well.

Well, we don't wanna keep the ice princess waiting, now do we?" Naruto said, earning a glare from his best friend and a giggle from the lady of the night. Being the gentleman that he was, the blonde escorted her out to the still-running car and opened her door. It wasn't long after that that Gaara was speeding down the road with the group in tow.

"What'd I tell ya? This place is lit tonight!" The dog enthusiast called to Naruto over the loud, thumping music. Naruto was already beginning to sweat from all the people in the club that night, as he warily watched Kiba hand his ex-wife's best friend a fifty for getting them in.

"Sure is…" Naruto said, not really trying to mask his unenthusiasm.

He was grateful for the fact that Neji had a brain and had called ahead. Sai had reserved seats for them at the bar, and Naruto was more than happy to use their connections to his advantage as he flitted through the crowd of people.

What he hadn't been counting on, was a red headed woman screeching at the pale bartender at the top of her lungs. Nor did he count on the fact that one of the people she brought with her, was none other than Sasuke Uchiha himself.

"What do you mean 'reserved seats', this is a fucking bar, not a Broadway theatre!" The woman shrieked loudly, making even Naruto wince. He suddenly felt really bad for the raven-haired male, who already looked less than pleased about being brought in the first place.

"Hey, Sai, It's ok! She can sit there if she wants." Naruto said, grinning sheepishly as Sasuke looked over at him, his eyes wide in shock.

"Please take a seat, miss." Sai offered, Karen taking the spot with a huff as if she owned it. Naruto knew that he probably just sacrificed his seat permanently for the night, but he didn't mind standing and suffering through the night with Sasuke.

Not that he thought it was possible to suffer when the raven was around, anyway.

"What are you doing here, dobe?" The cool voice asked with irritation, arms folded in front of a black button up half sleeve. Sasuke scowled when he noticed Gaara and Neji sit at the 'reserved' seating section.

"Neji's cousin is in from out of town, and she wanted to come for ladies' night. I just kinda tagged along for it." He explained, though his explanation didn't seem to sooth his friend's nerves any.

"She already has two people with her." He said bluntly, waving absently over to Gaara. Naruto swallowed, feeling like he was being stared down. If looks could kill, he'd probably be a floor mat already.

"So who else did you come with?" Sasuke asked flatly, looking around at the wave of bodies that rocked on the dancefloor. It was hard to see, and Naruto had to squint for a bit, before pointing over at Kiba.

"There. Kiba wanted a wingman and payed one of… my ex-wife's friends to let us in." He said, grateful that Ino had long since left to the far opposite side of the room. On the off chance that Sakura showed up, there was a very small chance that he would actually see her.

Sasuke seemed to calm down a little, shaking his head as he tapped at the bar to get Sai's attention.

"Bring us a round of shots, on me." He ordered, pulling a little silver card out of his wallet. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but didn't get the chance to as Sai wordlessly took the card and prepared their shots.

"We could split the bill. I've got cash on me." Naruto offered quickly, but Sasuke only shook his head.

"Let my old man pay for the expensive drinks. He causes enough stress to validate it." The raven said with dry amusement, plucking one of the whiskey shots off of the round tray and downed it in one go.

For a moment, Naruto hesitated. He didn't want to get Sasuke in trouble, especially with his father. But as soon as those challenging, onyx colored eyes met his while he downed his third shot, the blonde finally gave in.

"Why the fuck does it have to burn so bad going down?" Naruto asked, his face scrunched up as he felt the warm liquid at the back of his throat. He was never a fan of the heavy stuff, but he'd be damned if he didn't prove he could hold his own to Sasuke.

"Quit whining, dobe. It's not that bad." Sasuke said, smirking as he watched Naruto quickly catch up to the amount of shots he'd already downed.

"Speak for yourself, bastard." The blonde man grimaced, feeling the warmth of the buzz start to spread through his body. Soon enough, the two of them had cleared the tray, and the lights had dimmed in the bar. As the song changed.

"Let's dance." Sasuke wasn't asking, and for some reason Naruto's tongue was glued to the top of his mouth. He let himself be dragged into the pool of warm bodies bouncing and grinding, head swimming as he noticed how cool the pale hand was on his skin in comparison.

"I-I never agreed, you know.." Naruto said as a futile attempt to protest. Sasuke led them to a relatively large clearing and turned, smirking to his dance partner.

"You haven't protested, either. Unless you're wasted already?" He mocked teasingly, putting his arms over the blonde's shoulders casually.

"Please, I'm no lightweight." The blonde scoffed, though his confidence dropped when Sasuke started dancing with him. What was he doing? He'd been so careful about avoiding the man's advances, yet here he was, caught in the Venus flytrap of his arms.

This was bad.

"Sasuke… we-" a finger to his lips cut him off, and his blue orbs met Sasuke's once more.

"Just let go and have some fun with me. Stop overthinking, idiot." He said, the finger on pink supple lips running up Naruto's head to rake down silky blonde locks. Said blonde visibly shivered, leaning in more subcontiously as they swayed to the music.

He was grateful that Sasuke didn't speak, their strange dance, both slow and fast was anything but uncomfortable. He shocked himself thinking that he wanted to do more with Sasuke, get closer and have a little naughty fun.

Dangerous indeed.

"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered, leaning in so that the blonde could hear him even over the music. Naruto was almost too afraid to ask what was happening, why he felt soft skin against his ear, and why the fuck it felt so _good_.

"S-Sasuke…" He said back, voice shaky as he gripped the man's pale bicep. His mind, which had been constantly telling him no, no, no for months completely shut off, and his body was hissing _yes, just go for it-_

"Naruto?" The blonde registered a different voice, one that definitely belonged to Kiba. With an astonished yelp, he practically shoved Sasuke away from him. What the hell was he doing!?

"Uh, yeah?" He asked, finally locating the dog enthusiast in the crowd of people. He didn't notice how Sasuke glared daggers at his friend for interrupting the moment, nor did he notice as said dance partner slipped out of the crowd.

"Your cute friend is lookin' for ya. What's her name? Hinata?" Naruto blinked, then blinked again. Right, Hinata was a person, a girl.

"I'll be right there!" He said, surprise turning to sadness when he realized that Sasuke had already left the dance floor. He sighed and followed Kiba out of the crowd, hoping that he didn't ask what had just happened between him and Sasuke. He didn't have an answer for it, anyway.

We wiped sweat from his forehead that he hadn't even noticed was there, taking a seat next to Hinata- He guessed that the red head decided to go out and dance.

"Go get her tiger!" Kiba said not-so-subtly to the blonde, who was suddenly reminded about why he was taken to the bar in the first place. Hinata blushed hard, playing with her dress while staring at her lap.

"H-he's very b-blunt, isn't he?" She asked once Kiba was way out of earshot. Naruto nodded in irritation.

"He can be a real ass, but Kiba's a good guy. Has anyone asked you to dance?" He asked her, inwardly cursing himself for being such a gentleman. He wanted her to have a good time, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel… What was this feeling? Guilt?

Why would he feel guilty about dancing with Hinata? It wasn't like he was a married man anymore. As if thinking it wasn't enough though, he saw a flash of pink in the corner of his eye.

Sakura was here. And she brought friends with her.

The blonde gritted his teeth. He REALLY didn't want to be there, but if she could have fun, then he'd be damned if he didn't have fun, as well.

"Ah, n-no. No one's a-asked me." She stuttered out. Grateful for the music switching to more of a slow song, Naruto put on his brightest grin and slid off his seat, helping Hinata get to her feet.

"Let's go have some fun then!" Perhaps it was the alcohol making him feel the whirlwind of both guilt and anger, but it was also making him bold. He led the bluenette out to the dance floor and put a hand on her waist gently.

When he was with Sasuke, he felt so insecure about the whole thing. With Hinata, he was confident, rocking with her. His head was clear, and even if he was more than a tad uncomfortable, that was how it was supposed to be. This was right.

…Right?

"You feel really nice." Hinata said, a smile and blush on her face as she leaned in more to Naruto. Her head was on his chest, and there was a slight pang of guilt and pain where long hair was laying, but he chose to ignore it.

"Yeah, I like dancing with you." He said, wondering if that was a lie or not. He found his eyes roaming around the room, his foggy mind more focused on his ex-wife- and the dance he shared only moments before with Sasuke.

The guilt only seemed to get stronger.

"Y-you seem kind of distracted." Hinata said, looking up at Naruto. The blonde whipped his head and looked back down to Hinata and gave her a smile.

"Ehh, sorry. I think I had a few too many drinks. That, and uh… I think my ex-wife is here. Sorry." He told her. It was no secret that Naruto didn't really want to get the divorce in the first place, and Hinata's eyes softened when Naruto spoke about her being there.

"D-do you want Neji to t-take us home? I've had a l-lot of fun just dancing here with you." She offered, which in all honesty the blonde was grateful for. His head was starting to hurt, and he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep.

"Yeah. I'm really sorry we didn't get a chance to dance and chat more." He said apologetically. He looked up to where his best friend and his boyfriend were sitting, and headed over to them.

Unsurprisingly, the loud red headed woman from earlier had returned, and was currently not-so-subtly hitting on Sasuke with a ferocity. It made him feel even worse about what had happened earlier, and he wanted to apologize. It didn't seem like he'd be able to anytime soon though, as Hinata took them to stand behind the two boyfriends.

"U-uhm Naruto… Do you want to… I-I mean, I-if y-you'd like… Come get ice cream? A-and maybe w-we could explore the city sometime?" She asked him out of the blue. For a shy little thing, she was putting on a very brave face, and Naruto was almost shocked that SHE was asking HIM on a date.

One look from Neji told him he'd be dead if he refused.

"Uhh yeah, sounds like fun! We could do that this Friday if you wanted." He offered. He felt like he was suddenly being shoved in a little box, not being able to turn her down when her cousin was not even two feet away. He glanced over at Sasuke, who had been trying to get him to go out with him for far too long, and his heart sank.

It just made more sense for him to go on a date with Hinata. She was a pretty woman, he didn't work with her, and as far as he knew he was straight. So why did he feel like he had done something very wrong?

"Sounds like you two will have a lot of fun. I know you need to go back to the University Hinata, so we'll See you two later. Be safe walking up." Gaara said, steeping in as he leaned in and Gave Neji a soft kiss. The blonde was glad that his best friend was taking control of the situation, removing him quickly from the bar.

"What did I just do Gaara?" He asked, slumping in the passenger's seat of the man's red vehicle. Gaara said nothing for a long time, rolling the windows down to let the cool air glide of their hot skin as he drove home.

"I think you know what you're doing, Naruto. It's more a matter of whether or not you want to do it." Jade eyes glanced over at his friend, his brow furrowed.

"You didn't have to agree just because Neji was there. If you don't want to take her out you don't have to."

Naruto raked a hand through his hair, sighing loudly as he rolled the window down the rest of the way, letting the cold penetrate down to the bones.

"I don't mind going with her, I'm just… Sasuke and I danced, and Sakura was there, and I just feel so guilty, Gaara. I feel like I'm being unfaithful." His friend pursed his lips, taking it slow down the hills that surrounded the University campus.

"You aren't being unfaithful to anyone, Naruto. Sakura wanted this divorce, and as much as you still love her, it's time to move on." He turned his head briefly once they were stopped at a red light.

"Take Hinata on that date. But stop looking at it like you will have to commit to something right from the get-go. Just have fun and be yourself." He said. Naruto sat there, defeated. He had heard that enough times that day, that it might as well have been embedded in his skull.

"Yeah, yeah… I know. I'll go out with her." He said, turning his attention outside. The streets were dark, but he found a sense of comfort from the old, large buildings passing outside.

Thoughts of his and Sasuke's dance passed through his mind. He couldn't deny that he had really, truly enjoyed himself when they were dancing. The more he thought about it, and saw how hurt the man had been when they had stopped, the more his heart hurt.

He didn't want to hurt one of his closest friends in that way. As much as he enjoyed himself, he couldn't be sure that he actually felt a physical attraction to him. He liked breasts and curves, both of which Hinata had, and she had an alright personality. It was just the safe way to go, and he wouldn't hurt Sasuke in the long run.

So why did he feel so guilty, when Sasuke wouldn't speak to him at all the next day?

 _A/N: So uhh… Where to start?_

 _First and foremost, I'm really sorry that this took so long to come out. I made the mistake of starting a second story, when I knew for a fact I wasn't ready to take on that workload. If that wasn't enough, there was a long period of time where I didn't know where I wanted to take this story._

 _This is actually the second time I wrote this chapter. I spent four weeks writing a totally different version, and I decided at the last minute that I just wasn't happy with how it was turning out. The more I worked on it, the more I hated it, so I scrapped it and wrote this. All in all, this chapter took two days to write. Needless to say I'm pretty happy with it, and the direction this story is going to go from this point forward._

 _For the entire month of November, I will be working solely on this story for Nanowrimo. That means that I will -hopefully- have a chapter every Wednesday again for the foreseeable future, and I will probably even get ahead, which means I'll have time to finish BPAH and maybe start something else by January. Again, Sorry that it's been so long!_

 _Special thanks to my best friend, Zeshiki, for spending literal hours with me brainstorming about what to do with this story. Without her, this wouldn't have ever become a thing. Second special thanks to Holly_Grenade, who encouraged me not to rush through this, and in doing so probably made this chapter come out a lot sooner than it would have if I had burnt myself out. See you all this Wednesday!_


	8. A Date?

Large, blue letters glared at Naruto loudly in the streets of downtown. Friday had come all too quickly for his liking, and yet all he could think about was how Sasuke hadn't spoken to him in three days.

It was unnerving, being at work when his manager was there. The raven went out of his way to ask Sasori or Deidara for something, even if it would have been easier to have Naruto do it. When the blonde tried to approach Sasuke about the whole thing, the man just scowled and left the building altogether.

He had almost gone to Itachi several times about it, but figured it wouldn't be fair to drag his boss into their little fiasco. He already knew he was in the wrong, but there was nothing he could do if Sasuke wasn't even willing to talk to him about it.

So, there he stood in front of the ice cream shop, his palms sweating profusely. His jeans were a bit too tight and his long-sleeved shirt a little wrinkled, but he was there to eat ice cream with Hinata and tour the town.

It was just a date, not a commitment, he told himself.

With a breath, he took ahold of the cold, metal door handle and swung it open, hearing the chime above him go off as he waddled inside. The sun had been at an angle that blared inside the building, making it a little hard to see.

"Ahh right on time, as always." A familiar, silky voice called, and briefly Naruto thought that he went to the café on accident.

"Itachi? What are you doing here?" He moved closer to the counter, blinking as he saw his boss leaning over across from Hinata. The bluenette blushed as soon as she saw him, but Itachi only looked on in amusement.

"Dropped by for a visit since I was in the area, and to my surprise Hinata here told me she was the one you were going on a date with today." He explained, leaving him more than a little bit flustered. He was going on a date with her, when the man's little brother had been asking him out for months.

"Ah, yeah. She asked me during ladies' night." Naruto said in a pathetic attempt to explain himself. He felt as though he was being punished.

"Well she is definitely quite the catch. Smart and beautiful, as always." The elder Uchiha complimented in his charming way as he picked up and kissed the back of Hinata's hand. The woman giggled, though there was no sign of embarrassment towards her ex coworker.

"You flatter me, Itachi. Let me go see if Tobi is finished with your order yet." She said, excusing herself as she slipped into the back of the rather small shop. With just the two of them there, Naruto felt like he was being secretly scrutinized.

He at least knew the extent of Neji's wrath. For all he knew, Itachi could be at a whole new level of sadistic.

"He'll eventually stop sulking, my brother. He's just very thin on patience, and doesn't quite understand everything you must be going through. Don't take it too personally Naruto." As if the heaven sent man could read his mind, He helped ease some of Naruto's fears. The blonde visibly relaxed- he didn't know how long he'd been tense for, and scratched the back of his head.

"…Thanks. I feel kinda bad, actually, like I let 'em down. I dunno how to approach him." He admitted. Itachi nodded, moving back behind the counter and grabbed two bowls.

"You want your first experiences outside of your marriage to be comfortable ones, and if that wasn't enough you don't know how you feel." Itachi said. The man was extremely intelligent, and for that Naruto was incredibly grateful.

"Yeah, exactly. A-and I care a lot about Sasuke- as a friend. Should you be doing that?" Naruto said, clarifying before switching subjects. He could see the conversation getting really awkward real fast.

"I worked here for three years as a teenager. Hinata won't mind if I scoop out your ice cream bowls while they work in the back." Itachi told his employee, scooping out the different flavors with a precision he was sure only Itachi had.

"Wait, you actually worked here? Scooping ice cream?" Naruto asked, bewildered. He just couldn't picture the suave man working in such a place, yet here he was proving that he did, in fact, know how to professionally scoop ice cream.

"There aren't very many places that will hire someone at fourteen years old. Hinata's mother was kind enough to do so." He threw the ice cream scoop back into the warm water and placed the two bowls of frozen ice cream on the counter.

He realized that one of those bowls was full of his favorite banana chocolate flavor.

"I picked up a second job at a pet store with Kisame once I hit sixteen and worked both this and feline assistance for a year. It was around then that I realized that I wanted to really save up to split off of my father's company. Be more self-sufficient." Itachi licked his thumb and caught Naruto's blue orbs briefly.

Even though he was trying to pay attention to the conversation, he couldn't help but be hyperaware of what Itachi was doing. There was something about the way he was looking at the blonde, like a predator sizing up its prey, that made the hairs on the back of his head stand up.

"I could see you working with cats." He forced himself to say, his eyes flickering down to the Uchiha's thumb before bolting right back up to meet the coal gray gaze.

"Indeed. I had many other jobs before opening the café as well." Naruto watched the man carefully, feeling stuck almost in a trance as Itachi stepped over ever so slowly. He could feel his heart thrumming in his chest, eyes wide and innocent as his boss leaned down to be eye level with him.

He was confused all over again.

"Tobi, no!" Came the uncharacteristically loud cry of Hinata's voice, followed by a loud clanging and crashing that seemed to never end. It was enough for Naruto to tear his eyes away, turning to look at the door leading into the back room.

"E-everything's fine!" the bluenette's voice shouted again, with much smaller clanking noises being made in her effort to clean up. Itachi straightened up and shook his head at the back door.

"Ahh yes, this brings back memories. Wouldn't have minded working here for longer, but I had bigger dreams that required more money. When Konan approached me about working at the car repair shop with Pein, I couldn't refuse." Itachi went on, as if nothing had happened.

Hinata came out a few minutes later, panting and covered in rice flour as she hurriedly handed the bag over to the elder Uchiha.

"Sorry about that. You know how Tobi can get sometimes. Mochi ice cream for Sasuke, the usual flavor!" She chimed happily, handing over the paper bag. Naruto noticed that not once had she stuttered while talking to him, a feat he'd only seen her do with Neji prior.

"Thank you, Hinata. Hopefully this will help get him out of his slump." The blonde felt the twinges of guilt he'd been suppressing come back to a head at that, and turned away. He really hadn't meant to hurt Sasuke like he had.

"I-I'm sure it will, right Naruto?" Hinata asked, wiping the flour off of her clothes. He knew that she was trying to be polite and include him, but it only served to make him feel even worse.

"Hopefully, yeah. What flavor is it?" The blonde asked, though he didn't bother to turn his head back to meet them in conversation. He didn't want them thinking he was against the whole date that was about to take place.

"Cherry tomato of all things. Sasuke doesn't usually like sweets, so I come here to have the ice cream custom made." Naruto blinked then furrowed his eyebrows, trying to picture the flavor.

"That sounds pretty gross." He mused, scrunching up his nose. Itachi only chuckled and thanked Hinata again.

"Tomatoes are Sasuke's favorite food, and he enjoys more of the savory and salty ice creams. This is the only ice cream shop in town that will make a combination of his favorites." He explains, handing over a few coins to the bluenette owner before heading to the door.

"I won't delay your date any longer. See you on Monday, Naruto." The Uchiha said with a small wave before exiting out of the ice cream parlor. Hinata fidgeted for a moment, blushing when Naruto's gaze met hers before she silently walked over to the cash register.

"S-sorry about that, N-naruto. I-I'm kind of surprised t-that you know Itachi though." She said, putting the coins away before grabbing the two bowls of ice cream with a small smile.

Naruto shrugged. "It's no biggie, I was kinda surprised myself. You didn't see Sasuke at the bar last Tuesday?" He asked in confusion. Sasuke was for a good part of the meet up had only been a few feet away from the woman.

"That man was Sasuke?" She asked, her eyes widened as something clicked in her mind.

"I-I had no idea… I've never met S-sasuke in person, only heard stories from I-Itachi." She set the ice cream down in front of them, looking at the plain vanilla sadly as she sat down across from the blonde.

"I-If I'd known that was HIM, I wouldn't of…" She trailed off, waving her spoon before digging into her ice cream. Naruto cocked his head.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. She only shook her head, and he decided it was best not to pry.

"L-let's just enjoy today. I-Is there any p-place in particular you wanted to go?" She asked, which made Naruto start to inwardly panic.

He had no idea where they should go on their date.

Wasn't that normally the guy's job to figure out? But Hinata had been the one to ask him out, anyway. He hoped that she had some idea of where to go- the entire thing was making his head hurt. It was bad enough that he was sorely reminded of the date that he could've been having instead.

It was also hard not to think about ashen eyes staring at him not minutes before.

"Naruto?" She asked again, snapping the blonde back to reality. Naruto gave her a nervous laugh.

"I uhh, didn't really have any ideas. We could just walk around until we see somethin' cool, unless you had something else in mind." He offered, filling his mouth with ice cream as an excuse not to say anything. She smiled and nodded.

"Sure, I would like that. It's been a long t-time since I just walked around."

"Tobi go too, ice cream lady!?" An unusually high-pitched, yet distinctly male voice called from the backroom. There was another loud clanging sound as a man with an orange mask- Naruto guessed him to be Tobi- came out to see them.

"Ahh, not this time, Tobi. I'm on a date with Naruto." She said, smiling to her longtime friend and coworker. The one eye that showed in the mask gave her a hard stare, one that ever so slowly moved to meet Naruto's gaze.

He swore he saw red coming from behind that mask. Naruto swallowed hard, and did his best to try and give a friendly smile.

"It's nice to meet ya, Tobi!" He said, clicking into his café voice out of habit. This wasn't the first time he'd had an awkward encounter, but it was certainly more unique. The blonde began to get more nervous as the silence dragged on. It was obvious that the ice cream worker wasn't going to greet him back.

"It's alright, Tobi. He's a friend of mine and Itachi's." Hinata said, feeling the tension in the air. Tobi still said nothing, slowly walking back to the door where the backroom was located without breaking eye contact with blue orbs.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder how he got away with being so creepy working with a place that serves kids.

"Ah, d-don't worry about him. H-he's actually really nice, and the ch-children adore him. H-he's just not used to people uhm…"

"So he's protective of you?" Naruto provided, his awkward smile becoming more of a sincere one. He was grateful that they Hyuga woman had a lot of people who cared about her.

"Y-yes he is. He's v-very f-friendly though." Naruto chuckled and glanced back over to the back door, where Tobi was still peeking his head out.

"I dunno if Neji's ever done that, but I could see him doin' something similar if he thought you were in danger. Do ya think maybe Itachi's the same way with Sasuke?" Ha ased, not too sure of where the question came from. Hinata looked up and blinked.

"Oh- uhm I think he m-might be. Itachi h-has always talked very fondly of Sasuke, ever s-since they were both very young. Y-you seem really close to them too, N-naruto." She stuttered. Naruto took a moment and thought about that.

Sure, they had some times where they hung out and did things. More often than not, the blonde felt really comfortable with them too. Was he close to them, though?

"Yeah, guess I am. It's weird to think about honestly, I kinda feel like they've been around forever even though it's only been a few months." He admits, finishing off his ice cream and pushed his bowl away.

"I haven't really said anything to them, but they've done so much for me during this whole divorce thing. I dunno what I'd do without 'em anymore."

"It seems like you were meant to meet them. I-Itachi's a very nice person in general, and S-sasuke seems to care a lot about you. I-I think they both do." Hinata said, smiling back at Naruto. She stood up once she was finished with her ice cream, grabbing the foam bowls and threw them in the bin before beckoning his date to follow her to the door.

"Don't get into too much trouble, Tobi!" She called softly as she grabbed her coat hanging by the door, and Naruto hurried to open it for her.

The skies were cloudy, and it was more than a bit chilly outside. He was grateful that Hinata had brought a coat since he left his as home, thinking the rest of the afternoon was going to be sunny. He'd been horribly wrong.

"A-are you going to be ok? You seem pretty cold in just t-that thin shirt." Hinata said in concern. Naruto smiled and waved her off, grateful for her concern as they started down the busy sidewalk.

"Nah I'll be fine. A little cold weather never stopped anyone from having a good time with a beauty like you." He said with a wink, trying to lighten the mood some. Hinata giggled, cheeks and nose flushed red already from the cold.

They talked like that for a while, not unlike when they were back in the comfort of the Sabaku household. If he had been single from the start, he could've seen himself asking her out a long time ago.

With everything going on though, he couldn't hep but still feel a little off about it. He told himself that it was due to the fact that he was still getting over Sakura, and it was still too early for him to move on.

Something seemed off about that assumption, though.

"Hey, do ya wanna go in there? It's the tallest building in the city. We could see everything from the top!" Naruto said as he stopped them. They'd been walking for an hour, and truth be told he just wanted an excuse to get inside if only for a minute. His nose was running, and he could've sworn that he saw Tobi at more than one place they'd stopped to take in the view.

"Sure, it sounds l-like fun!" The bluenette agreed, and gently she threaded her arm through his as they headed inside the building. The blonde sighed as his body was washed over with almost scorching heat.

"It's probably gonna be colder at the top, so make sure your jacket is bundled up." He warned her, pressing the button to bring the elevator to them. In truth, he was probably bracing himself for what was about to come.

"W-we don't have to go up if you don't want to." She offered, but Naruto was shaking his head, promptly entering the elevator when it hit the bottom floor.

"Nope, we're heading up! I've never actually seen what it's like at the top." He said, grinning at her. His grin faltered a little when he realized that someone else had stepped onto the Elevator.

More specifically, Tobi. He had wrapped most of his face and mask in a scarf, but he took no care to hide the fact that he was still wearing a blue apron with the ice cream logo over a ridiculously oversized black sweater.

"U-uhm…" Naruto said, but decided it was best not to say anything about it as they took the elevator all the way up. Already he could feel the wind make the upper floors sway a bit, and he very nearly had second thoughts when he saw the indoor view.

"This is insane…" His face turned blue as he looked out the windows, but they still had a ways to climb. Seemingly unaffected and unaware of Tobi's presence, his bluenette date continued up the last set of stairs leading to the rooftop.

With his wobbly legs the blonde followed after, trying to ignore the fact that Tobi was currently hiding near the elevator they just came out of. OR at least, trying and failing to hide.

Hinata pushed on the metal bar and swung open the heavy door, the wind helping to keep it open as the blonde followed through the door. The wind had died down a bit, but the building was still rocking slightly and the cold tore straight through Naruto's thin shirt.

"This view better be worth it." He mumbled, holding his arms as he sniffled a bit. Hinata gave him a smile, wrapping her arm around him in an attempt to help warm him up a bit.

"It looks like it will be." The woman said. She waddled with her date closer to the edge, pointing out at the city below them.

They lived near mountains, making some of the ground higher and easier to see. There were green trees surrounding even the most populated areas, and the cloudy day created a mist that blanketed the area in a fog that made it seem almost surreal.

The sight knocked the wind out of him.

"Wow… Is that really what it looks like? That's amazing!"

"It really is. I'm really glad I got to come up here with you." Hinata said. She was sure that he heard her, but his blue orbs couldn't hide the fact that his mind was in other places.

"Yeah, same." Naruto leaned into the ledge of the building, grateful that it was high enough that they were in no danger of falling. He looked on at all of the different buildings, finding it hard to ignore the glaring university campus that many people he knew went to.

"I wonder if Sasuke's in class. He's got a weird ass schedule, so it's likely. Do ya think Itachi will show up while he's in class or wait?" He asked, his head resting on his palms in thought.

All he got in response was a small giggle. Naruto raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to his date.

"What is it? Did I say somethin' funny?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. Hinata just shook her head.

"It's just… It's easy to tell they've become a big part of your life. That's all."

"Who, Sasuke and Itachi? Nah, they've just been a huge help, that's all." He said, shifting a bit. As much as he denied it though, it didn't feel right to say. He knew there was something more than that, but he couldn't for the life of him place what.

"Naruto… How would you feel if they were up here with you?" She asked him. The wind howled as it whipped through them, sending a shiver through Naruto.

Well for one, he knew he'd feel warm. Itachi would give up his jacket, throwing it over his shoulders even though it was way too big for him. Or Sasuke would just outright wrap his arms around him, acting as a human shield against the wind.

He also felt as though it would be a lot more intimate for some reason. Hinata was a nice person, but he didn't know the first thing about her aside from the few times they talked. He knew more about the Uchiha's than he could've ever dreamed to know.

"It's kinda complicated to think about." He settled on telling her, wrapping an arm around her. He was still focused on the scenery as his mind flitted through the different possibilities.

"Maybe… it doesn't need to be complicated." Hinata said, looking out at where the blonde's gaze was pointing to. The direction of the café.

"You should go make peace with Sasuke, if you know where he's at. I enjoyed spending time with you, today." Naruto turned quickly at that, hoping that he didn't somehow upset her.

"Woah wait, you're done already? Did I do something? I'll stop talkin' about them if it bothers you." Panic started creeping up his spine, wondering if he somehow offended her or made her think he wasn't prioritizing her.

"It's not that. Naruto… you're really bothered that you hurt Sasuke. And I think it's because… Well... I-It's not really my place to say. He's important to you, a-and it's important that you two get back on good terms." Hinata pulled back a little, rubbing his arm and smiling to try and comfort him.

He couldn't return the smile, sighing as he looked down at the hand touching his arm.

"Guess I kinda ruined our date with that, huh?" He asked. Hinata shook her head.

"Not at all. I enjoyed spending time together with you, and getting to know you better as a person. I just get this feeling that there are bigger things in store for you, that's all." She explained, trying to help the blonde feel better.

He gave her a small smile but it didn't reach his eyes. Maybe it had been a bad idea to agree to the date, even with Neji looming over them expecting nothing less. She might have been the safe choice, but in the end it made him feel even more guilty.

"Maybe, but that's the case for both of us. You deserve a lot better than me. Actually, I've got a friend I kinda want you to meet sometime. Well sorta, you might've already met him at the bar, maybe, but you know what I mean." Hinata's smile got brighter and she nodded.

"I think I know who you mean. I'd like that." She said in agreement. Naruto turned to face her, a spherical orange shape catching his eye for what had to be the umpteenth time in an hour.

"Uhh, you know your coworkers been following us this whole time, right?" He whispered, leaning in a bit in hopes that Tobi didn't hear him point out the obvious.

The man in question- who looked incredibly warm much to the cold blonde's dismay, was currently hiding behind a pillar, not-so-discreetly watching them from afar. He wondered for a minute if Tobi was actually going to say anything, but Hinata was the first to call him out.

"Alright Tobi, let's go back to the shop!"

"Ice cream lady reward Tobi with sweets for being a good boy!?" The masked man practically squealed, revealing himself from his hiding spot with his hands, which were also gloved in black, in front of his hidden face.

"Yep! You were definitely a good boy in helping keep me safe. Now be nice and tell Naruto thank you for being good as well." She told him, glancing over to the blonde in hopes that he'd just go along with it.

Naruto shrugged as the silence dragged on, with Tobi refusing to acknowledge him.

"W-well I guess we both have somewhere to be. Tobi will take me back to the shop. It was nice seeing you again, maybe we can do something like this again sometime." Hinata offered, taking Tobi's arm as she was quick to leave with the overly excited masked man.

As cold as he was, he waited a little bit before leaving, giving them time to ride the elevator down. He figured that it would give Tobi- and ultimately Hinata- peace of mind for him to linger a bit behind while they walked back.

Naruto sniffled and wrapped his arms around himself to try and keep out some of the cold, already feeling the effects in his sinuses even after he made his way to the elevator. By that point he was cold enough to make a pit stop after exiting the ridiculously tall building. He spotted a grocery store a few blocks down that he could take shelter in, and practically skipped to the entrance where warm air was blowing at its customers.

"Sir, if you are going to make any purchases, please continue inside. If not, I must ask you to leave." The greeter asked. Naruto sighed, sniffing again as he made his way into the warm colored grocery store.

It was definitely somewhere that sold organic produce, and most likely a place that only people with a lot of money could shop. _Snobs_ , his mind provided, but he felt guilty even thinking it.

Having a large wallet didn't make someone a snob. It certainly didn't make Itachi or Sasuke act like they were above everyone else.

Naruto sighed, thinking of the raven that he'd unintentionally hurt. Sasuke had been nothing but kind and helpful, but in a way he shoved it all back in his face by avoiding his advances. At the very least, he could have given a polite 'no' and explained why he was uncomfortable with it.

He really should make an effort to make it up to him, but how?

Naruto had wandered into the produce section after aimlessly seeming like he was looking at the ridiculously priced items. He remembered seeing Itachi at the ice cream shop earlier, how he had custom ice cream made to cheer up his brother.

Itachi had been making an effort to clean up his mess, which made him feel even worse.

"Why is everything so expensive?" He asked himself, picking up a few large tomato's that were still on the vine. They were a little over three bucks per pound, making them easily the most expensive fruit he'd ever seen.

The gears in the blonde's mind turned, and he grabbed a large paper bag. He quickly stuffed in a hefty amount of tomatoes carefully, not even bothering with weighing them. Sasuke liked tomatoes enough to eat them in ice cream, he guessed he would also enjoy them plain.

Now it was just a matter of finding him.

It was Friday evening, so he knew that Sasuke was either in class or just getting out. If he was quick, he might be able to head up to the university and hand him the fruit with an apology.

Giddy for the first time in three days, Naruto waited in line to check out. He bounced on his heels and put the bag of tomatoes on the conveyor belt, completely forgetting the real reason why he went in there in the first place.

"That'll be $19.64 sir." The lady said with practiced politeness, and Naruto went to grab his wallet from his back pocket.

Blue eyes widened.

"Uhm..." Shit. He pat both of his back pockets then his front haphazardly, empty pockets mocking him. He had been in such a tizzy about the date that he had left his wallet at the cafe in his locker. He swallowed as his head slumped in defeat.

"I uhh... I'm gonna have to-"

"I'll pay for him." An irritated yet familiar voice called next to him, a warm, pale hand handing over a little silver card in front of his face.

"O-oh, you don't have to- Sasuke!?" Naruto jerked a little bit in shock. It couldn't have been a coincidence that he'd be right behind him in line. And how the heck hadn't he noticed that in the first place!?

"Dobe. You can't do anything without having someone hold your hand." he said, grabbing the bag of tomatoes and put it in his cart before paying for his own groceries. Naruto waited, feeling more than a bit awkward about the entire situation.

"What are you doing here, anyway? Where's your coat?"

"W-well Hinata and I w-went on a date- but it kinda got cut short and I came here to warm up and they had tomatoes so I figured that I'd get you some and try to apoligize, but then I didn't bring my wallet, s-so-"

"...Usuratonkatchi. You cut your date short just to come here and buy six pounds of tomatoes for me?" Sasuke asked, still peeved but seemed less so as he pushed the cart of groceries. Naruto stayed close, keeping his head down as he fidgeted.

"Well technically Hinata cut it short, but... yeah. I wasn't planning on getting tomatoes, but Itachi dropped by the ice cream shop Hinata works at to get you tomato flavored mochi ice cream. So... yeah." He said. Sasuke rolled his eyes and shrugged off his jacket, practically tossing it at Naruto.

"I'm guessing you didn't bring your car, so I'll take you home, dobe." It wasn't exactly an acceptance, but the blonde was talking more with Sasuke than he had been able to in a while, so he wouldn't waste the chance fate gave him.

They loaded up the car and climbed into the front seats, the pale man turning the heater up to high. For the majority of the ride the two of them stayed quiet, one out of of lingering spite, and the other because he really didn't know what to say to make things up with his friend.

"Sasuke... I didn't mean to... I-I mean I don't... know how I feel. About anything, and I didn't want to hurt you-"

"Don't. I know you're still figuring stuff out." Sasuke said, feeling annoyed and defeated. He rolled the window down slightly reaching for something in his pocket. He hesitated and decided against it at the last minute.

"Yeah, but I could've said somethin'. Anything." Naruto wrapped the man's jacket around him tighter, smelling the coffee and pineapple and another scent that he could only describe as Sasuke himself.

"You could've just said you weren't interested." The raven reiterates, his grip tightening on the wheel.

"…I dunno if I'd be lying though. If I said I wasn't interested." Naruto scooted, turning to face Sasuke while his bac rested against the car door, adjusting his seat belt accordingly.

"You interest me. I just dunno if it's… like THAT. And I don't wanna get your hopes up." He said with a shrug. He was surprised when Sasuke smirked, glancing over to him before giving his attention back to the road.

"How will you ever know if it's 'like that' or not if you don't give 'that' a chance?" He asked, pulling into the Sabaku's residence. The blonde opened his mouth, then shut it, unsure of what to say to that.

In truth, he didn't think of it that way.

"Next Saturday, Naruto. Five PM. Be ready to go." Sasuke said. Though it wasn't really a question, the blonde treated it as such. Oh, what the hell.

"Sure. Saturday at five. I'll go grab some cash really quick for the tomatoes."

"Don't bother. It's the thought that counts, dobe. I'll see you Monday." Sasuke said. It was as if Naruto was being unraveled after being bandaged up way too tight, his own smile spreading on his face as the raven pulled away. Things were back to normal once again.

Only, he had a date in a week. With the Uchiha.

He headed inside before the butterflies in his stomach made him float away.

"ACHOO!"

"You better remake that, Usuratonkatchi." Monday rolled around, and sure enough Naruto had gotten sick from the failed date the Friday prior. The blonde groaned, resisting the urge to chuck the hot liquid at his manager.

"Shuttup, bastard. I'm only here 'cause you threatened to fire me." He grumbled, deciding to instead throw the liquid out. He pulled out a mini bottle of hand sanitizer and coated his hands with it, ready to start making a replacement drink.

"You can complain after Saturday." He said with a smirk, leaving a blushing blonde with the other two coworkers as he left to take his break.

"I swear to fucking KAMI, babe, if you come any closer with that stack of envelopes, yeah…" Deidara threatened, currently backing away from Sasori.

Naruto blinked, before sneezing again.

"You need to face your fears eventually, Deidara." Sasori said, stepping forward. His boyfriend practically hissed before flipping the red head off, following after Sasuke to take an early break of his own.

"what's with him?" Naruto asked, placing the third-time finished drink on the serving plate.

"We worked in mail delivery before Itachi offered us a job. To this day he still refuses to look at a piece of mail or go near a mailbox."

"Worst fucking job of my LIFE!" Deidara called again. Naruto had to do a double-take, trying to visualize Itachi in a blue work shirt and white hat with a red stripe.

A well-rounded boss, indeed.

 _A/N: AHHH this chapter almost didn't get done in time! I fell behind the past couple of days, and I'm finally catching up. I'm super excited about writing their date chapter- but that won't be for a bit yet._

 _I hope you all enjoyed this flopped date, see ya'll next week!_


	9. Flu Season

Getting sick was a foreign feeling to Naruto. Even when he was a child he had a high-end immunity, almost never missing school due to illness- although he would fake it quite a bit.

So it shocked him when Itachi ended up sending him home halfway through his shift on Monday. He had caught something on his day out on the town with Hinata, but he could live with the sniffles, sneezing, and sore throat. He paid no mind to the body aches that morning as he got out of bed, receiving a rather threatening text from Sasuke who knew that he had done it to himself and told him to face his sickness or risk being fired.

What he couldn't ignore was the fact that he just projectile vomited in front of Itachi's office on his way outside for his break.

It came out of nowhere. In fact, he was sure that Karma waited until that very moment to punish him for faking. The blonde groaned, doubled over as he tasted the bile now coating his mouth, the body aches becoming three times more aggressive after convulsing.

Shame was the next thing he felt, when Itachi opened the door to his office. His boss stared at the mess on the floor before leaning on the doorframe, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"What gave you the idea that it was a good one to come in today?" Itachi asked, his arms folded and a finger tapping on his elbow. Once Naruto to stand upright again, he let out a loud groan and frowned. He was sickly pale.

"Didn't know that… ugh…" He didn't manage to finish his sentence as he ended up puking again, this time covering his own nice black shoes. The eldest Uchiha watched, rubbing his temples as he turned back into his office, only to emerge a few moments later.

"Come on, I'll take you home. You're in no condition to do much of anything, let alone drive home. One of us will bring back your car sometime tonight." The blonde just nodded and followed Itachi through the back, unable to find the will to fight the man on it.

Itachi took him to his mute gray Audi and pulled out a few plastic bags out of the trunk, handing them over to the Sick blonde. Naruto toed off his shoes and threw them in one bag, keeping the other bag free in case he got sick again. He climbed into the passenger's seat, though when his phone buzzed he started to panic.

"W-wait. Sasuke said-"

"I'm aware of what he told you, and dealt with it accordingly. You're in no condition to work, and even if you were it's better not to risk food contamination. Sasuke has had his flu shot, so I feel no remorse in making him clean up your mess after he threatened your position like that."

Naruto let out a sound akin to a whimper. He still wasn't completely sure he was in the clear with the younger Uchiha, and hearing that he was cleaning up his mess only made him worry more.

"It'll be alright, Naruto. Everyone gets sick from time to time." Itachi said, using one of his hands to run through Naruto's hair in his own affectionate way. The blonde sighed, the fingers feeling amazing against his throbbing head as he unconsciously leaned into the driver.

The rest of the trip home was more of a blur. He vaguely remembered them getting there, Itachi helping him out of the passenger's seat and into his bed. The bed had been cold and the rest of the house eerily quiet, but with Itachi bringing him a glass of water and a prompt promise of his return, Naruto relaxed and let sleep take over him for the next several hours.

He remembered being extremely cold when he finally did get up.

"Wha…? How…?" He sat up, shivering as he looked around the dimly lit room. His voice was hoarse and his throat dry, and the glass of water by his bed looked like a beacon of heaven as he quickly washed down the nasty taste in his mouth.

"You've been out for quite a long time." A smooth voice called from the foot of his bed. If he had felt any better he might've reacted, at the very least jumping up or maybe grabbed the aluminum baseball bat he kept next to the bed. Instead he sat still until he was coherent enough to recognize the voice. His blue eyes finally gave attention to tired, ash gray ones ones that were focused on a bright screen light.

"Itachi?" He asked, taking another sip of his water. His stomach churned, but the water felt good on his esophagus.

"In the flesh. I told you I'd come back, though I didn't expect you to still be passed out when I arrived. It's almost ten at night." He said rather calmly, considering how late it was. Naruto threw off the covers and shivered some more.

"Shit. I-I need to get up." He murmured, putting his feet on the ground. He wobbled and his head immediately spun as he got to his feet, but before his nose became one with the carpeted floor a strong arm caught him.

"You shouldn't push yourself, Naruto. You're running a terrible fever and it's likely that you're dehydrated." Itachi closed the lid on his laptop and set it on the dresser, scooting so that his feet hung off the edge of the bed to give him a better grip on his charge.

"I can't be sick, though. I have to work." He whined again. The elder Uchiha sighed and slipped off the bed, helping Naruto keep his balance as he stood.

"You forget that I'm the boss. I make the rules." He noted with amusement, unbuttoning both the black vest and the white shirt of Naruto's work attire. His clothes were drenched in sweat, and he felt no remorse throwing them to the other end of the room to be dry cleaned later.

Naruto shivered hard as the air hit his bare skin, his arms tightly wrapping around his body unconsciously. If he wasn't running a fever high enough to cook an egg on his abs, he'd be more than a little unnerved by the fact he was currently being stripped down. By his boss. In his room.

"'Tachi no, I'm cold." He whined in mild protest, teeth chattering even more. Itachi shook his head, pulling the blonde's tanned arms apart before making quick work unbuttoning his pants.

"Staying bundled up is only going to make your fever worse, and make it last longer." The elder man reasoned as he pulled down the black slacks to join the rest of his soaked clothes, leaving him in only a pair of orange boxer briefs as his socks came off as well.

"Stay put. I'm going to see if Gaara owns any Tylenol." Itachi told the blonde, stopping at the door and turned back, knowingly.

"Don't even think about going back under the covers, either." Great. Naruto's teeth chattered, his mind fuzzy yet somehow he managed to stand up and let the cold air hit his skin. Or at least, cold to him. In reality, his room was probably in the upper seventies.

After what seemed like hours, the elder Uchiha came back with two small white tablets in hand and another glass of water, handing them both over to his chilly charge after making sure Naruto wasn't going to spill or drop the glass.

"That should help bring down your fever." Itachi said, making sure Naruto took his medicine and drank every drop of water. He sighed, pulling out his phone to check the time and shoot a text to Sasuke. He couldn't bring himself to leave the suffering blonde alone until he was at least a little more comfortable.

"I-I-It's-s-s Free-ezing-g." He said, teeth clattering some more. His knees began to knock, and it took all the effort he had not to crawl back under the blankets.

"Perhaps next year you'll remember to go and get your shots." Itachi scolded mildly as he took the time to strip off the bedding. Wide, blue eyes watched as his comforter joined the mess of clothes laying on the floor, and were quickly replaced by clean, dry sheets and a thin blanket.

In his daze, Naruto tried to discreetly inch back over to the thick blue comforter he was bundled in moments ago. Itachi quirked an eyebrow as he sat back on the bed, watching intently to see if Naruto would notice him. He didn't.

"Would you mind if I stayed longer?" Itachi asked, making the man stop in his feeble attempt to grab the warm blanket. In fact, he forgot all about it as his mind swirled and his feet wobbled, turning back to face the Uchiha with a small nod.

He really didn't want to be left alone right then.

Itachi smiled and took the blonde's hand, helping him onto the bed next to the wall before climbing onto the other side. He was still shivering, even after he completely wrapped himself in the thin blanket he was allowed to have. Being able to rest his feverish forehead against Itachi's arm though seemed to make the worst of it go away.

"Perhaps tomorrow you should see if Gaara or one of his siblings will take you into the doctor. For now, just rest and hopefully your fever will go down, at the very least." The elder Uchiha told Naruto, smiling down at him before pulling his laptop towards them. There was a movie going on the screen, a business documentary of some sort that the blonde could only assume was for work.

Not that it really mattered. By the time the Tylenol kicked in twenty minutes later, he was out like a light once again.

The next morning, Gaara took him in to see the doctor -no doubt after being thoroughly instructed to do so by the eldest Uchiha.- Sure enough, he had contracted the flu sometime during the week prior. Thankfully by then his fever had gone down, and the doctor gave him medicine to keep him on the up and up with a lot of bedrest.

Much to Naruto's delight, the late night visits from Itachi didn't stop. The Uchiha came by around nine thirty every night, sometimes even with soup that Sasuke would make if he didn't have school. It was his way of making up not coming to visit him as well while he was sick.

Naruto learned that Sasuke had bleached the floors in the café every night since he left Monday. Damn germaphobe.

Thursday night rolled around all too quickly for the blonde's liking. It had quickly become a nightly routine for Naruto to be wrapped securely under two blankets- his fever finally broke- and watching television on the couch while waiting for the Itachi to arrive.

"He may not show up, you know." Gaara called calmly from the kitchen as he continued his own scrub-down of the entire house, grateful that Naruto wasn't contagious anymore.

"We'll see!" Naruto said. His throat felt eons better, and he hadn't thrown up since Tuesday night. Aside from the occasional sneezing and some brain fog, the blonde was in much better shape. He even felt well enough to go in the next morning.

Something about having Itachi's visits stop, however, bothered him. It bothered him a lot more than it should've, but he chalked it off to it being part of not being able to concentrate.

There was a familiar knock at the door, and Naruto jumped off of the couch to answer as excitement pooled in his stomach. He had been antsy all day, forcing himself to stay in bed or lay on the couch while playing video games. When he opened the door, all the tension he felt seemed to disappear.

"You seem to be doing much better, Naruto." Itachi's warm voice said, a smile on his face that the blonde couldn't help but return.

"I am, thanks to you and Gaara." He said, grin spreading wide over his face. It faltered a little when he noticed movement behind his guest, but only got brighter when he noticed who it was.

"What's the germaphobic bastard doing here?" Naruto asked, noting the medical mask Sasuke was wearing, along with long sleeves and black leather gloves.

"Checking up on you, dobe. Why else would I be here?" Even with his cold jab, Naruto could see the upturns of his onyx eyes smirking at him. He rolled his own eyes and opened the door wide, letting in the Uchiha pair.

"You two play nicely." Itachi teased, his own smile turning into a smirk as he walked in, setting down a container which Naruto could only guess was more soup they would be eating. His mouth watered at the familiar smell wafting through the house.

Naruto vaguely noted that Gaara had packed up his cleaning supplies and went to hide in his room. He'd done that every night when Itachi came over, and the blonde could only imagine that the double visit made his friend doubly uncomfortable.

"Hn. This is playing nicely." Sasuke shot back, his smirk still lingering behind the medical mask. Itachi stayed quiet and waved the younger two back into the living room, busying himself with grabbing three bowls.

"Whattaya gonna do when I go back to work tomorrow? You know you can't wear that dumb outfit." Naruto curled back up on his spot in the middle of the couch, looking up at the raven expectantly.

Sasuke only shrugged, sitting with a sizeable gap between the two of them. Blue eyes furrowed while he hid a pout underneath the blankets.

"Pay no mind to him, Naruto. Sasuke's just sour since he gets sick after the smallest sneeze. His immune system has always been lacking." Itachi explained, juggling three large bowls of soup with the precision only a waiter could have.

"Hmph…" Naruto said, scooting closer to Sasuke. The raven groaned as he came hip to hip with the blonde, but decided against protesting. He knew he was taking that risk when he decided to fuck all and come visit.

Itachi smiled at the adorable pair, handing over two out of the three bowls before sitting himself down next to the sick blonde. It was a tight fit between the three of them, but not tight enough to be uncomfortable. In fact, the blonde found that he quite liked being in the center of an Uchiha sandwich.

He was grateful for the lack of lighting when he felt his cheeks heat up.

"Seriously dobe? A Disney movie?" Sasuke asked as he picked up his piping hot bowl of soup. Naruto let out a strangled gasp in horror, his embarrassment long forgotten in the midst of something much more ghastly.

"One, it's a PIXAR film. Two, Coco is the greatest and most heart-wrenching movie. Seriously, it'll make even a bastard like you curl up and cry!" He argued, earning an eyeroll from the younger Uchiha.

"Pixar is owned by Disney." He shot back, blowing on his spoonful of soup before slurping it up. Naruto huffed, literally puffing up his cheeks as he moved to restart the movie.

Itachi had been watching all of this in more than a bit of amusement. It didn't go unnoticed by the blonde, either, who was currently wishing he still had a bundle of blankets to hide underneath. Even with the embarrassment, though, Naruto felt more comfortable where he was than he had in years.

His eyes turned to the TV as he brought his own bowl to himself, deciding to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

Credits were rolling, soup was eaten, and there was a tuckered out blonde between two Uchiha's. Itachi smiled down at Naruto, who had at some point fallen asleep on his shoulder.

"Looks like somebody is still not quite feeling well. Time for bed." He told Sasuke softly. The younger raven nodded and got up to his feet, carefully helping Itachi carry their charge into his bedroom gently.

The room was dark and the walk into it was more than a bit clumsy. Naruto was out like a light, though, and stayed that way even after he was tucked into the mess of pillows and blankets on his bed. Itachi hummed, heading out into the living room and grabbed a brown package out of his briefcase, leaving it on top of Naruto's dresser for him to discover later.

"Think he'll actually come back tomorrow?" Sasuke asked. He was still beside Naruto's bed, watching the blonde sleep with an unreadable look on his face. Itachi knew his baby brother well enough to know what that look meant, though.

It was a look of adoration.

"If he feels well enough, he will. You've missed him." It wasn't a question, nor did Sasuke put any effort into disputing it. Instead he cocked an eyebrow and folded his arms, turning his attention towards Itachi incredulously.

"Says the man who has been over here more than you've been home. If I didn't know you, I might even be a little jealous." Sasuke said, a small smirk creeping onto his face. He knew that Itachi was a lot more subtle than he, and this was one of the few times he would actually be able to show the blonde just how much he cared.

"You know I'd do the same for you." The elder shot back quietly, his arm pulling Sasuke to him lightly before he regarded Naruto's sleeping form. He would miss all of the nightly visits… Though he knew if he got his way, nightly visits would become much, much more.

"Yeah I know. Let's go." Sasuke told him, letting Itachi usher him out of the room. They took a minute to gather their things, Itachi taking the time to put the soup away for any of the Sabaku's who wanted any later while Sasuke dealt with the television. Both of them were hesitating, but it was getting late. Naruto was asleep, and there was no point in being there.

Finally they had made it back outside and stuffed their belongings into the back of Sasuke's car, the younger male reluctantly getting into the driver's seat as he started up the car.

"This whole thing is really annoying. I hope he doesn't go and flake out on me on Saturday." Sasuke said to Itachi after the door shut tight. The elder hummed in amusement, hearing the almost pout coming from his little brother.

"He's not the kind to cancel once he's committed to something, Sasuke. Are you still planning on taking him there?" Itachi asked, noting how Sasuke's grip tightened.

"I'm not gonna let father ruin this for us. Besides, he shouldn't even be there when we go, he's got that whole big meeting downtown to go to, doesn't he?" Sasuke asked, his lead foot bearing down on the pedal to speed up onto the freeway.

"He does. But you know that he is still going to find out." Itachi pointed out. Sasuke kept himself focused on the road, rage building up. He could explode if he had to, when they got home.

"Then let him find out. Better me than you anyway, since you're the one with all of the crazy big plans. He knows I'm not happy with all the shit he makes us do, what's another 'fuck you' gonna do? Make him angry? He's angry all the time, anyway." Sasuke said, both with and without reason. He was grateful when their freeway exit showed up.

"Perhaps that's true. I just don't think either of us would take to kindly, if he decided to target Naruto, instead." Itachi noted grimly. The younger Uchiha was practically seething, his hand holding the gear shift hard enough to crush the circular handle if it weren't for Itachi's hand gently over his.

"Two more months, Sasuke, and then it won't matter." He reminded his younger brother, satisfied only when the smaller male let out a breath of air and let go of the gear shift. The rest of the drive was quiet, and both chose to linger in the car long after they had pulled into the driveway.

Two more months… seemed like a lifetime.

The sound of chirping birds greeted Naruto when he finally came to. He noted that he was soft, albeit a little bit cold, though it was nothing like the chills he had at the beginning of the week. He dared to open his eyes, a blobby mess of sunlight peering through his bedroom window met his gaze.

Where was Itachi? Where was Sasuke?

With that thought he quickly blinked the sleep out of his eyes, stretching as he rolled out of bed. It was morning… meaning that he had botched his last night of seeing the Uchiha's every evening.

He let out a groan, wiping his face dramatically with his hands. Why did he even care? Sure, it was nice that Itachi had spent so much time taking care of him, even though he knew the man was god-awful busy. He also knew that Sasuke came to check up on him, even though his immune system was shot to hell. But…

…Was there a but? He just missed seeing the brothers, outside of work. He would miss being able to snuggle up on the couch and watch movies between the two of them. He'd miss Itachi's soup, and… and his tender touch… He groaned even louder.

What the hell… he was going on a date with _Sasuke_ on Saturday, not Itachi. He was okay with it, too. Or maybe it was just half okay? He didn't know. This entire thing was confusing him, eating him up as he felt guilty. It wasn't normal to feel like this.

Checking his phone he finally rolled out of bed. It was early enough that if Naruto wanted to he could make it into work, albeit a little bit late. He knew it wouldn't matter much, especially since he knew three people was just not enough to handle the morning shift. With a huff of determination he started getting ready to go.

Only, he had forgotten that his uniform had been soaked through… a brown package caught his eye on the dresser, a beaming smile replacing his worry as he took it. Leave it to Itachi to get things done, when he couldn't.

Putting the uniform on, he found that he was happy. Happy to work, happy to be able to Gossip with Deidara, hear the occasional sarcasm from Sasori. And most of all, he was excited to battle Sasuke once again on the battlefield that was the café.

 _A/N: Soo… What to say. A best friend was lost, depression kicked in at maximum capacity, interests changed… and all around I felt like writing this had become more of an obligation than something I could do for fun. It's been a rough few months._

 _I don't plan on giving up this story anytime soon, however. It is officially the longest story I have ever written as of this chapter, and a pretty big milestone for me since my dream has always been to be an author someday. Just gotta… figure out how to handle it better when life hits you with a semi._

 _As for this chapter, half of it was written in November -before this stupidly huge flu epidemic. I am aware that others would treat the flu differently, and there is controversy over the flu shots, etc… point is, this chapter just has what I would personally do, if I had the flu or was prone to getting the flu. My husband and I were lucky enough to steer clear of the epidemic, and for that I am grateful.-_

 _The other half was written in the past couple of days. Hopefully it doesn't show too much._

 _Anywho, next chapter will be a long overdue one, which if this pattern holds up I will have out by next week. I don't dare make any promises, cause, well, yeah. But I know the direction I want this story to go, and Im hoping that I can get back on the rail of regular updates._

 _Thank you for those who have been patient with me, and I'll see you all next time!_


	10. A Date: Part 1

To say that Naruto was akin to a shivering chihuahua, being stared down by a doberman with rabies in an enclosed alleyway, was an understatement.

"You weren't this indecisive when you went on your date with Hinata." Gaara pointed out from his spot on Naruto's bed. It was Saturday evening, specifically only a few minutes before Sasuke was supposed to pick the blonde up. Said blonde had called out his sleep deprived friend in a state of panic, unsure of what to wear or how to act, or… anything, really.

"Well yeah, but that's… that's 'cause…" Naruto trailed off when he glanced over at Gaara, whohad his invisible eyebrow raised to give him a look. A look, that told Naruto he should probably stop now before he said something stupid about his future cousin in law.

"A-anyway, ya gotta help me, Gaara! He's gonna be here any minute and I still have no idea what to wear!" He called out in exasperation, once again burying himself under a mountain of clothes from his closet. Too small, too formal, not formal enough, too… pink. When the hell did he get himself a pink pair of pants?

"His opinion of you is not going to change regardless of what you wear." The red head noted coolly, tapping away on a laptop dedicated for work seated on top of green pajama bottoms. Naruto groaned.

"Well… yeah maybe not, but I still wanna look good!" He said with a pout. He pulled out a bright orange button-up, seriously considering it. As much as he liked the looks of it, though, the threw it into the no-go pile and continued looking.

"Why can't I just borrow one of your shirts? You've got plenty of cool things to wear!" Naruto huffed, finding a black pair of slacks that he threw onto his bed. Finally, he had half of an outfit picked out!

"Because you are almost a foot taller than me, and have more muscle mass."

"Details!" Naruto flopped backwards into the pile of clothes, having already gone through his entire shirt collection. This wasn't working!

 _Ding Dong!_

Great. Just perfect. Naruto glanced up to Gaara, giving the man puppy dug eyes in hopes that it would convince his best friend to buy him more time. Jade eyes seemed unwaivered, though, and with a groan Naruto plucked a random shirt out of the pile to slip on. It was a bright lemon yellow piece.

Oh well. He had worse.

He jammed the t-shirt on over his head, quickly grabbing the black slacks as he unceremoniously tumbled out of the room. Temari was gone, and thus he felt no shame in doing a jerk dance through the living room, zipping and buttoning his pants right before getting the door.

Oh God. Maybe being overdressed would've been the right way to dress after all, if Sasuke's sleek suit was anything to go by. Sasuke glanced at him, arms folded with a slender eyebrow arching upwards.

"Couldn't find anything to wear?"

"Shut up, bastard." Naruto mumbled, moving out of the way so that said bastard could come in for a minute. He expected the Uchiha to make some snarky retort about how he was dressed. Instead, he went cross-eyed as he was casually presented with a single, freshly cut red rose.

"Hey, I'm not one to judge. You look good in anything you do or don't wear." Sasuke noted with a sly smirk. Ah, there it was. Naruto grumbled, any hint of hope that he would get out of this unscathed being thrown out the window. He begrudgingly took the rose, inspecting it with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you try'na tell me somethin' with this? I'm not a girl, you know." Naruto commented. Even with the slight offense, the blonde moved into the kitchen and put it in a small vase lying around.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You don't have to be a girl to give and receive nice gifts, idiot. That's just the stereotypical idealism that heterosexuals try to force onto people."

"Well… yeah, I guess that's true, but why a rose of all things?" Naruto asked, filling up the vase with water. This time it was Sasuke's turn to get flustered, his cheeks tinging pink as his lips pressed into a thin, hard line.

"W-well I wanted to bring you something. It's simple- look, let's just go?" He asked, and Naruto couldn't help but snicker. His manager was flustered about something, and that alone was a rare sight.

Why was he so flustered, though? The blonde had to make it his mission to find out at some point.

It seemed Sasuke pulled out all the stops. His sleek black car had been washed, probably right after the two of them got out of work two hours prior. Not to mention the fact that the raven had been quick to walk ahead of Naruto, only to turn and open the passenger's seat for his date.

"Wow, Sasuke. I didn't know you could be a chivalrous bastard!" Naruto teased, earning a light whack to the head as he climbed in.

"Hn. You also didn't seem to think I was dateable, either." He noted, closing Naruto's door as he rounded to the other side. He pretended not to notice the glare that the blonde was giving him.

"Hope you're not allergic to seafood." The raven haired male noted as he sat so elegantly in the driver's seat. He had no shame changing the subject as they pulled out of the driveway. Naruto went to comment but ended up only shaking his head, his words dying as nerves began to pick up.

This was _really_ happening. He was going out on a date with _Sasuke Uchiha._ His manager, local bastard… and in a lot of ways, his best friend.

The drive was uncomfortable for Naruto, even with the radio and heater deafening the silence. He fiddled with the hem of his neon yellow shirt, thoughts going a million miles a minute, mostly about how he didn't want to screw things up. The silence didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke, though, who was used to a blonde that would babble nonstop.

"Hey. You know this isn't any different from us hanging out together. Just a little fancier." Sasuke told him, moving a piece of his blonde hair out of his eyes to help ease some of his nerves. Said blonde only swallowed, nodding again as he looked down to his hands in his lap.

"Sorry. I just… know that this is something you've looked forward to for a long time. Kinda don't wanna screw it up, heh…" He chuckled dryly, the humor lacking in his eyes. Glancing over to his friend, Sasuke sighed and moved his hand to massage the back of his neck.

"You won't screw this up, usuratonkachi. Just be yourself and have fun. If you decide that this isn't your thing, it's not the end of the world."

Naruto hummed, both in response to his comment and that fact that Sasuke was working his beautiful magic on the knots in his neck. He blamed the tenseness on the fact that he was scrunched up either on the couch or the bed for almost a whole week. Working overtime two days in a row didn't help with that, either.

Why did Sasuke's touch have to be so _godly_?

One car ride and short massage later, Naruto was in much brighter spirits as they pulled into the parking lot. When he felt the car come to a halt he rolled his shoulders, feeling the popping release of hi shoulders and back. A small smile graced his now relaxed face as he finally opened his eyes.

"Hmm? Where are we?" The blonde asked, taking in his unfamiliar surroundings. There was a grey business building in front of them with sleek, tinted windows. There was no way to see inside from the outside.

Sasuke smirked, not giving his date a verbal answer as he climbed out of the car. Instead he maneuvered around the car to get Naruto's door, holding out a hand in confidence.

"I told you, dobe. It's a seafood restaurant. We've already got reserved seating." He said with a chuckle. Naruto deadpanned at the vague answer, taking the raven's hand non-too-lightly as he once again looked over at the large building.

"Seems pretty fancy…"

"It is fancy. Everything that my father owns is fancy." Naruto did a double take at Sasuke's statement, blinking a few times in disbelief. The youngest Uchiha only rolled his eyes, dragging Naruto by the arm to the front.

"Is there a place in this city that your dad doesn't own? I mean he already owns a whole freiken' mall." He muttered, feeling more intimidated by the second as soon as the roped entrance came into view. They came to a brief halt, Sasuke looking up at the security guard with an expectant look.

"Good to see you, mister Uchiha." The security guard said curtly as he unhooked the thick, red rope. 'Hn' was the only answer the youngest Uchiha gave as the couple walked inside, hands still firmly clasped together.

Neither of them missed the disappointed stare that the guard gave them. Only Sasuke chose to ignore it.

"Ah, Uchiha-san! We've got your usual spot in the back all cleaned and ready for you." Naruto turned his attention to the woman leading the front of house, a stark contrast to the guard outside in attitude. Her smiling gaze turned to Naruto, a hidden excitement in their depths.

"Ah, you must be Naruto-kun! It's good to finally meet you. Both Sasuke and Itachi have mentioned you many times." She greeted him with a small bow and a smile, earning a blush from the blue-eyed male.

"I-It's nice to meet you, too." He stuttered out, mentally kicking himself. He worked with different people on a daily basis, why was talking to this woman so difficult!? Was it because she worked at such a fancy establishment? He needed to get a grip on himself.

"It's good to see you, Mae. Thank you for setting up the table for us." Sasuke said politely, his face sliding into what Naruto came to call the 'cool ass business-y' face. Usually he only had that face when he was around people he was obligated to be polite to.

The more he thought about it, the more Naruto realized it was the face Sasuke had on that small smirk and straight-eye the majority of the time. Very rarely did he show how he truly felt about a person or situation. It made the blonde's heart beat faster as they were ushered into the back, knowing that he was one of the few people who actually got to _see_ him vulnerable.

The restaurant was packed for dinner service. People of high social standings were littered all over the floor, for the most part minding their own business. It didn't stop Naruto from feeling eyes staring at the back of his head, which blended in perfectly with his lemon-colored tshirt.

He really should have changed before they left... but it was too late to worry about that now.

When Mae took them up the spiral staircase and around a corner it was a completely different feel. It was actually quiet enough to hear the piano music playing in the background, the walls lined with candles that gave the area a warm feeling. It opened up into a privet room, possibly the VIP section that was completely set up for their date.

Naruto's jaw went slack. He had never, ever been on a date this fancy before in his life. He didn't think he _knew_ anyone who could afford a date this fancy. His voice caught in his throat as he glanced over to Sasuke, who seemed mildly pleased at the way the room was set up.

"Beautiful as always, Mae. You've really outdone yourself this time." He told her, sitting down in one of the cream-colored, comfortable looking chairs as he beckoned Naruto to join him. It took every bit of willpower for him to take that first step into the plush white carpeted room and sit across from the Uchiha.

There was a small group of sculpted orange and blue candles in the middle of the table. They surrounded yet another single red rose, nestled neatly in a crystal vase. To the right of the décor was a bottle of unopened chilled wine, which for the carpet's sake Naruto hoped was white.

"This is insane." The blonde whispered to Sasuke while Mae set the table. Of course, she was setting it up with all the formal bells and whistles. He was sure that half of those forks wouldn't be touched tonight, and the poor dishwasher would have to wash them anyway.

Sasuke's small smirk became just a little wider as he watched the blonde, nodding courteously to Mae as she left to give them some privacy. Hetook the bottle of wine in one hand and Naruto's glass in another, pouring a generous glass for the blonde.

"Not really. Fancy can get old really fast when you've lived with it your entire life." The young Uchiha explained, pouring his own glass and took a sip, glancing out the window at the beautiful sunset view.

"Yeah, but not everyone gets the luxury of being born in a rich family." Naruto huffed, sniffing the- unfortunately red- wine before taking a sip of his own. He scrunched up his nose a little, not used to the taste as he pushed it away from him. What exactly _was_ he doing here, anyway?

"It's not the sunshine and daisies that people seem to think it is, Naruto. Either way, it's an experience that everyone should have at least once. I've only got one shot at impressing you, so I figure go big or go home." He said, taking another sip of his drink.

"We coulda just gone and saw that new Jurassic movie instead…" Naruto grumbled, once again taking in the entirety of the luxurious room. Even if it was just the two of them, he somehow still managed to feel uncomfortable and out of place, smaller than someone who, up until that point he had considered to be equals with.

"We can still do that if you want. Being honest impressing you was only half the reason I wanted to come and eat here tonight." He said, making Naruto's curiosity pique as he furrowed his blonde eyebrows. Sasuke shot him another charming smile, swallowing down more of his wine before resting his elbows on the table.

"Father's been under the impression that Itachi and I are going to just blindly do as he wishes for the rest of our lives. Bringing you here as my date is bound to piss him off." The Uchiha stated. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed even more, this time in anger as he stood up with his palms flat on the table.

"So what, I'm some kind of statement now? Just to get back at daddy dearest for bein' a pain in the ass!?" He asked, watching his date's amused gaze from over the table. Naruto let out a small growl, sneering a bit as Sasuke just shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"This is a statement, yeah. This is me stating to both you and him that I want _you_. That I'm not going to marry some female business intern from the states while running the company in Itachi's shadow. I want you to know that all of this is stuff I would gladly give up _for you,_ Naruto."

The blonde blinked, his face falling back into curiosity as Sasuke explained what he was doing. He looked around the place a third time, blush slowly rising as he slowly sank back into his seat.

"D-on't 'cha think that's kinda a bold statement for a first date?" Naruto asked, quick to down his glass of wine before the waiter came to take their order. He was grateful that Sasuke took charge of all that, his mind flitting in too many ways to really _speak_ in the moment. He was trying not to make noise, his eyes landing on the single rose in the middle of the table once the server turned to leave.

"Maybe, but it's the truth. You deserve to know just how much you're cared about after your last relationship." The Uchiha said, amusement no longer reaching his eyes as he let out a sigh.

"It's not like we're total strangers. Coworkers don't usually hang out outside of work every week, or do you and Deidara have a thing we don't know about?" Naruto didn't miss the amusement once again in the bastard's eyes, rolling his own as he poured another glass of wine.

"Ehh well… I mean… uhh… maybe once? Nah, that was somebody else… okay okay you got a point, but still! This is a date, this is all that romance bullcrap! I still don't even know if I bat for your team or not!" Naruto noted, finally whining as he ran his hands through his hair. This was all so frustrating, and the smug Uchiha didn't even try to make it better. Damn rich bastard…

"It's okay, Naruto. You don't have to make a decision any time soon. Just relax and enjoy yourself, don't think about all of this too hard. Or did you forget that part already?" He asked, chuckling at Naruto's pout.

"Sure, yeah, enjoy myself while you openly flaunt me to your family like we're gonna go elope soon. Real fun!" Naruto took his second glass of wine and gulped it down as well, starting to feel the warmth spread over him. His visible pout became more prominent when Sasuke reached over the table, the feeling of cold, pale fingers swiping over his forehead.

"You're cute when you're mad, dobe."

"Oh shut it, bastard." Naruto snipped back. He made no move to get away from Sasuke, though, his fingers feeling nice against his warm, swimming head. It must've been the lingering effects of the flu causing him to lean forward…

"Hn. Make me." Sasuke said with a smirk, his fingers moving forward to caress the blonde's cheek gently. Why did he have to do that? Naruto folded his arms, still defiant even when his head leaned to the side, letting the pale hand cradle his head gently.

Yup. Definitely had to be the flu still rearing its head.

Despite all of his mental turmoil, he found himself missing the man's touch as the sound of tapping shoes alerted them of the waiter coming around the bend. He shifted in his seat, quietly thanking him for their food as he poured the rest of the bottle of wine in his glass.

"Guess it's a good thing that I only ordered one bottle." Sasuke joked, adding to it as he took a sip of his still first glass of wine once the waiter was gone.

"It takes more than a little wine to get me drunk, teme." He retorted, this time taking his time with the drink as he looked down at the small dish in front of him. Ahh hell, it was one of those four-course type things, too.

"So what's the deal with the whole 'single rose' thing, anyway? You never really explained it." He asked, making a point to loudly slurp his soup while gesturing to the centerpiece of the table. Sasuke was quiet for a long moment, whether it was because of the question or his slurping the blonde didn't bother to ask.

"…Roses are beautiful flowers with a deep meaning. If you're not careful though, they can hurt you, even if they're only protecting themselves." He said, moving to put his thumb and pointer around the single rose. There was a big thorn, but the young Uchiha wasn't even phased as he sliced his thumb on it.

He licked the blood off his thumb, glancing back out at the slowly disappearing sunset in thought. Somehow, the blonde couldn't help but be drawn to that look… that hidden sadness that he could see clear as day. It took him a long moment to realize that he'd been staring, shaking his head as he stubbornly rested his head in his hand.

"Still don't get it, Sasuke. Seriously, how am I supposed to get all that girly mystery stuff?" He asked, swirling his drink as the waiter came through with the main course.

"Hn. Says the one who seems to think there's a deeper meaning to a flower in the first place." The Uchiha retorted, getting no response as he dug into his meal.

They both ended up eating their meals in comfort, with a few words exchanged here and there. Slowly, ever so slowly Naruto began to loosen up, the place where they were dining left forgotten in the presence of familiar company.

"So then Kiba's covered head to toe in dog slobber while Shikamaru is tracking down a hose, And we've only got three minutes before we had to finish our lunch. Needless to say, we all got detention for that." Naruto rambled, grinning as he slurped down the rest of his food with a content burp. He patted his stomach and sunk into the chair, waiving away the waiter when he asked about dessert.

"Nah, no thanks. I'm stuffed!" He exclaimed happily, closing his eyes. It was only after a long moment of silence that his eyes opened again, looking over the table at his brooding date.

"Hey, what's eatin' ya? Hello, Earth to Sasuke?" He called, waiving his tanned hand in front of the man's face. Sasuke took the opportunity to reach out and grab his wrist, looking up to him with a serious expression.

"Are you… really okay with this, Naruto? You're not just drunk?" He asked, causing a pair of blue eyes to widen. Was Sasuke, _the_ Sasuke, actually nervous?

"Well… yeah. I mean sure it was pretty awkward there for a while, but… you're right. Your my friend first and I shouldn't really feel uncomfortable with that." He explained, using his free hand to scratch the back of his head with a small frown.

"You okay? Did I go TOO casual or somethin'? Wait, is that even possible?" He asked, his nerves once again rearing it's head. Sasuke, however, seemed to relax a bit, standing up as he moved to lace his fingers through the blonde's hand.

"It's nothing. Thanks for humoring me, dobe." He said, smirk turning into a genuine smile as he shuffled out of his seat. Naruto blushed again, copying the Uchiha's act of shuffling as his heart started to speed up.

"Sure, but uhh… I wasn't really… I actually had a great time, Sasuke." He finally blurted out, cheeks heating up even more. Seriously, what was this? He was no teenage schoolgirl, dammit!

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at the mess of a blonde, any insecurities he had blowing out the window as he stepped forward. Naruto couldn't have seen it coming, not from a mile away with how utterly scattered he was. Still, when he _did_ register what was happening, everything went still.

By far it wasn't the first kiss he'd ever had in his life. Sasuke's lips were thin and slightly chapped, moving against his in a way that he somehow found enticing. Pineapple, lobster, and cigarette smoke from when Sasuke slipped danced in his senses, making his mind blank for a moment.

Then, it kicked in high gear. Sasuke was _kissing_ him. Instead of pushing him, tanned fingers pulled at the man's jacket sleeves. He ha so much he could blame it on, being sick, the alcohol flowing through his veins. But he knew that even if h had been in good health and stone cold sober he'd feel the same.

He _wanted_ this. He wanted the man that his brain stubbornly labeled handsome, he wanted daily bickering that turned into makeup make-out sessions. He wanted to hound him about the fact he needed to quit smoking, wanted to be _more_ than what they were. Yet still, even with all the things that had been presented to him as wants…

"S-sasuke…" He puffed out. He didn't know when his fingers became tangled in silky black hair, nor when the simple kiss had turned into a battle for dominance. It had only ended because their bodies needed air, and he took the moment to speak what was on his mind.

"Sasuke… I-I don't think I…"

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts by the sound and vibrations of a phone, finally taking two measured steps back from Sasuke. The Uchiha's face was dark and impatient as he took the device out of his back pocket, answering it without much of an explanation.

"I'm busy." He answered, leaving Naruto to stew in everything that had just happened. Touching his lips the felt bruised and puffy, moreso than they'd ever been as he rocked on his heels.

Sasuke… was amazing. He was like his other half in so many ways, and somehow they just _worked_. It didn't surprise him that they were mistaken for a couple on the daily, even by customers that had never seen them before. It was believable. Scary… but believable. Even with that thought though, he still couldn't but feel like there was something missing. A hole in his big heart, one that not even Sasuke could fill.

What was he doing here?

"That was my father. He wants me to meet him at his office in twenty minutes. No exceptions or excuses." Sasuke said flatly, a dangerous look in his eyes. Naruto saw it for what it was, though, he was mad about their date being interrupted just like that. Naruto nodded, struggling to find words, so instead he grabbed the cuff of Sasuke's suit jacket.

"Well uh… hey that's okay! I'll call Gaara to pick me up, and uhh… we can maybe go to see Jurassic World… next weekend, then?" He asked timidly, knowing full well what he was implying.

At first glance, Sasuke looked mildly shocked at the offer. It was only after a good minute, likely giving Naruto a chance to back out before his face softened into a real smile.

"I'd like that a lot. See you on Monday, Naruto." Sasuke said, grabbing the check off the table to pay for dinner as he turned to leave the establishment. He had a real smile, even if front of all the guests and the staff, feeling as though this may have a chance of working after all.

Naruto watched him leave with a sigh, His own frown shrinking the longer he stood there. Sure, he knew now that he was attracted to Sasuke, but that still didn't change the fact that there was something… lacking. Something that he couldn't pin down on Sasuke or anybody really. Maybe it was the fact that he still wasn't fully over Sakura holding him down.

Though something told him that the feeling was something else.

Pulling out his own phone, he checked the time and unlocked the screen. He wasn't looking forward to explaining why Sasuke left to his friend, but it wasn't like his date had been given much of a choice.

 _Bzzzzzt! Bzzzzzt!_

"Huh?" Naruto blinked when his phone went off in his palm, having set the thing to vibrate for the evening. His face scrunched up when he realized that it was Itachi. Maybe Sasuke called and asked him for a ride home, instead?

Somehow, the thought made him feel more guilty than it should have. Nevertheless he slid over the green icon and put the device up to his ear.

"Hey, what's up Itachi?" He asked, feeling the cheeriness in his voice practically drip despite his spiraling mood. The blonde was in an odd state of limbo, not quite on cloud nine, but certainly not hitting rock bottom, either. It was almost as if he was floating.

" _Good evening, Naruto. Are you ready to continue with your date?"_ The smooth voice on the other line asked him, confusing Naruto even more. Continue with the date?

"Uhh… I thought Sasuke had to go meet with your father." He said dumbly, walking around to exit the VIP section of the restaurant.

" _He did. I'll be your date for the rest of the evening, if you're alright with that._ "

Suddenly the hole he was dangling over seemed more and more appealing.

 _A/N: another couple of months, another chapter. Oh well, butter luck next time I guess._

 _Meanwhile… that double date, tho. XD I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter, I enjoyed writing the ending a lot. Hopefully I'll ACTUALLY be able to have the next chapter done by next week, not gonna hold my breath with how hectic things still are. Depression doesn't cure itself, especially not overnight._

 _Thank you all once again for reading! See ya next time!_


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